Hope
by Nutella-in-a-bowl
Summary: After the brutal murder of her mother, 15 year old Hope is taken under the wing of Hellsing. As she's yet to find out, her entire life was already calculated for her and she would become stuck in a loop of unanswered questions and an uneven relationship with a 600 year old sociopathic vampire. As a malicious force reveals itself, will she put faith in herself and her masters?
1. Chapter 1: Loss

**A/n Sorry for the huge inactive period. I was extremely busy these past few months.**

 **Q: Did you delete the original?A: Yes, I did. I didn't like where it was going and how I previous had written it so I began rewriting the whole thing. Finally, here's the first chapter for you guys :))) I hope you like it better than the other one.**

 **To new comers- Hello, I'm Nelly! I've worked incredibly hard on this story for years (since 2015/2016) and I've finally got ideas which I think you will really enjoy. There won't be any romance or smutt, but there will be a family theme going on and sometimes there may be triggering subjects so please, if you're sensitive to gore or eating disorders I don't think this is the story to you. I've tried to make this as true to the Hellsing storyline as possible and unlike a few fanfics I've seen involving Alucard in the family genre, I don't intend on making him all affectionate and fatherly straight away because that wouldn't be realistic on Hellsing's standards. This is based after the end of OVA 10 and old characters you love to hate will appear so stay keen ;)**

 **I've put a great deal of time into this so if you're a member please add this to your favourites to get notifications and updates! Reviews are sososo appreciated because I have little self esteem so if you have anything at all to say please feel free. Enjoy!**

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 **General point of view**

South England, 2039

A black car pulls up to a small detached house in the lower class area of a small town. Sir Integra steps out of it, along with her most faithful servant Alucard. Her butler, Gene, carries a briefcase as the three walked onto the small driveway to the house. A young woman was anxiously waiting for the trio with her hands to her front.

The sight of Alucard instantly set her nerves on end; she hadn't been expecting him to look so much like _the other one._

"Ms Nightingale," Integra greeted, holding out her hand. The woman took it and shook it, distracted by the presence of the vampire.

"P-please, Sir Integra, call me Donna," she said uneasily.

"Donna." The older woman smiled, placing her other hand on top of Donna's to reassure her. Donna smiled, relaxing and Integra asked: "May we come in?"

"Yes, yes... to the living room." She halted when Alucard attempted to follow his master, "B-but not him. Please."

Alucard let out a mocking scoff but he was waved by Integra to stay put. He did as he was told and waited outside the living room as Gene and Integra went in. The door closed and Alucard sat down on the stairs by the entrance. He knew he'd be there a while. His opinion on him having to assist Integra with this exchange was that it seemed pointless to him but he also wasn't one to question orders.

Inside, Integra discussed reparations and support she and her organisation could offer Donna for her situation. A new home, a new car, a trust fund- Donna politely rufused everything except for financial aid when she was running low. She also requested that if anything were to happen to her, that Hope be sent under the care of Hellsing. Integra agreed, but in return: Donna's daughter was to be kept in the dark about her condition until the time was right.

Meanwhile, back in the hallway, someone tapped Alucard on the shoulder. He took up most of the width of the staircase and a little girl was trying to get past.

"Excuse me? Sir?"

"Hm?" he turned himself around and looked at the child. She was very small and frail looking, around three years old, but had the look of fury on her tiny face and untamed black hair way past her shoulders. She wore a pink shirt with brown dungarees, and boots which were far too big for her feet. She pouted at him dramatically and folded her arms.

"You're in my way! Move!"

"There's a politer way to ask, small one," Alucard frowned, removing his glasses and meeting her eye to intimidate her into leaving him alone. He wasn't particularly fond of children, especially since he knew what this child was.

"Move faster!" Hope demanded, unphased, "And your voice is weird."

Alucard stood up and moved, expecting the girl to continue her journey to wherever it was she was going. Instead, she stood there gawping at him in awe.

"You're really tall!" she exclaimed."Wow!"

"Yes."

"And you seem to really like the colour red... whoa! Even your eyes are red! They're super pretty! Mine are just brown- so boring."

Alucard wasn't one to receive praise regarding his appearance very often so he was taken aback slightly. He overcame this feeling and decided to humour the girl.

"Colours have meaning behind them," he informed her, "It's a good thing that you have brown eyes. It means reliability, warmth and honesty."

"Reliberbilly," Hope tried to say, "Then what does red mean?"

"Fire, conflict, evil. Very _bad_ things."

"Well, fire is warm and that's something we have in common I guess. You can't be _that_ bad." She then skipped away into the living room, leaving Alucard taken aback once again. _What an odd little girl._

Hope excitedly bounced onto her mother's lap and decided to tell her the knowledge she'd acquired.

"Duckling, I'm busy with our guests right now," Donna said, "Stay still and you can tell mummy about it later."

Hope obeyed, but she made faces at Gene as Integra and Donna discussed business. Gene made faces back and the girl giggled. Hope hopped off Donna's lap and insisted on being placed on Gene's. When Gene was hesitant to comply, she began climbing on the seat where he was sat and tried to do it without any help. Donna glanced over nervously at the two.

"My most sincere apologies," Gene said, "I-"

"-It's alright," Donna said, "she's got a lot of energy today. And she seems to like you."

Gene nodded and picked up Hope, placing her onto his lap. "You need to stay quiet because your mum's talking about important things," he whispered.

"Okay," Hope replied, "Are they really important?"

"Really, _really_ important. So let's just stay still. It won't be long."

"Your clothes make you look like a penguin. I like penguins." Gene laughed and hushed the girl.

When the deals were made and the legal documents signed, Integra shook Donna's hand again and gave her a personal phone number. She simply smiled at Hope, who'd demanded to know why she only had one eye, and began making her way out of the house without answering the child. Gene followed, and Alucard went to join them but Hope ran out into the drive and tugged on his coat.

"I want to see your eyes again," she said. Alucard frowned, but scooped the girl up with one arm. "Wow." She put her hands on his face and Alucard held her away from him, displeased from the contact. Hope, again, wasn't phased by the subliminal messages Alucard tried to send her.

"Your face is warm, it was so pale I thought it would be cold!" She paused, tilting her head, "Are you a vampire?"

"I am," he answered quietly, "Don't tell anyone. It's our secret."

"That's so cool! I wish I was a vampire. Then maybe I'll have red eyes too?"

Before Alucard could respond, Hope's mother snatched her daughter from his arms, glaring at him.

"Don't you ever touch her," she said. It brought back awful memories just looking at him. Hellsing knew of Hope's... _condition_ but they didn't know who caused it and Donna intended on keeping it that way.

"Muuummm!" Hope whined, "I didn't get to say goodbye to the red man!"

"That's alright, dear. You'll never see him again."

Alucard watched Donna hurrily take Hope into their home before he himself climbed into the car that waited for him.

"So, what do you think of her, Alucard?" Integra asked, lighting a cigar as the car started.

"She's ... unique," Alucard commented. Integra let out a lengthy exhale, feeling the nicotine cloud her head. She crossed her legs and leaned forward, looking at her servant directly and with extreme severity,

"When the time comes, and it will," she said, "You will have to turn her. She'll die otherwise, or her father might return for her which cannot happen. If she's corrupted, you have to kill both her and her father. And those are orders, by the way."

Alucard smirked, "But of course, my Master."

It was a matter of waiting for the dormant vampirin cells in Hope's body to wake up, or for her biological father to attempt something- either way, one would definitely happen at some point and Integra knew they had to be ready. That small, feisty girl was more valuable, and more important than anything out under Hellsing's supervision.

 **Hope's point of view, 12 years later**

I had a bad day. A really bad day. Everything just seemed to go wrong and it was stressing me out to the extreme. Chrissy was ill or some shit so I had to go around school by myself, and today was the day that every single teacher decided to make us all pair up or go in group. That sort of thing was humiliating for someone with anxiety issues. You sit there like an egg whilst everyone else immediately picks there partner. Then, it gets awkward when the teacher puts you in a three with people who obviously do not want you in their group. I'm not _completely_ unlikeable, I just happen to get on the wrong side of people quickly. I get nervous easily and I say spiteful and unintentionally insulting things as a result. It's such a curse, and the end result is that people disliked me. Mum would bullshit and say it wasn't my fault, it ran in the family, but we really didn't have much of a family so that didn't help my self esteem. We only had Grammy and Grampy, and they were the nicest people I knew.

I finally got home from the shitty, anxiety- filled day and I could already tell in five seconds that I was going to have a worse time there. Mum was home, which meant she'd been working the nightshift at work again, which meant she was tired and probably drunk. I head into the kitchen and my suspicions were confirmed: there was a near-enough empty bottle of wine on the counter and I sighed, rubbing my forehead stressfully. I tried to creep upstairs without being heard, but then there was a slurred shout:

"Hope! Get in here!"

I rolled my eyes and made my way to the living room. I see Mum sprawled out on the sofa, holding an open letter in her hand and I instantly felt my heart start fluttering nervously. The previous week a group of older boys had grouped up on me and tried to beat me up, and I have no idea how but I managed to best them. I have no upper body strength whatsoever but these guys got hurt badly and I can't figure out how. I remember feeling this energy in my gut that yelled at me to stay on my feet, and I listened. Next thing I knew, they were on the floor nursing their wounds.

Regardless of that incident, what my mother should have been concerned about was the fact that a group of boys tried to beat me up. _But no, she cares that other people heard about what happened and she was embarrassed about me..._

"Now then...wassthis, young lady?" She waved the letter around.

"A letter," I say.

"Don't you play dumb with me, missy. You got in a fight last week?"

"Sort of, but-"

"-With some lads older than you?!"

"yes."

"One of them's in hospital, for fuck's sake! Now how do you explain that? Did you have a knife? A-a stick? What?"

I didn't have a knife. I was cornered and there wasn't anything I could do but kick and scratch my way out and luckily for me by some miracle that worked. There was no other way to explain it. But Mum wouldn't understand or believe me so I didn't bother defending myself. I just stared at my feet, biting my lip. "Well? I'm waiting, Hope."

"Mum..." I sighed, "You won't understand what happened even if I could explain..."

"I had the police round asking me shit, the neighbours were proper nosey about it! 'Hope's in trouble again, hm?' 'Oh, what did she do this time?' 'You know, there are places you can take her to get better' - they think you're sick. Why do you let people see you like some messed up demon child? You know-" She ranted on for around five minutes, mostly just insulting me and accusing me of ruining her reputation. I stopped listening and stared at her with a blank expression on my face until she was done: "Am I clear Hope? Fix your shit!"

"okay." Of course all she cared about was what other people thought. She didn't care that I got beat up. Hell, she probably thought I deserved it.

I earned a final glare from the drunk lady. "Get out. I don't wanna see your face for the rest of the night. I'll… I'll think of a punishment later. "

I roll my eyes again and then finish my journey to my bedroom. I hated it when we were fighting.

I went to my room and sat on my bed, exhausted from my day at school. I took a few deep breaths, calming my nerves which were all over the place. Once I was calm enough I stood up and walked over to my wall-length mirror and stared at my tired face. I was feeling especially insecure about my body image- my stomach wasn't flat and even though my chub wasn't noticeable through my clothes I sure noticed it. My eyes were unfortunately a plain brown, which always upset me because my mum had these gorgeous bright sapphire blue eyes. I figured I got them from my dad but I didn't even know who he was. My mum hated talking about him and shunned me whenever I asked questions. She was a very secretive person and I disliked that, but with her being a single mother I respected the fact she had things she maybe didn't want to talk to me about.

But still- she was mousy blonde with blue eyes and I was a black-haired brown eyes. I got some features from her like my nose and my eye shape but you wouldn't think I was her daughter. I often get asked if my mother was my older sister at parents evenings or in the supermarket because she looked young. Fairly enough, too. She's 34 and had me at 19. I always felt bad about that part; p _regnant at 18 and a mother at_ _19_. No wonder she hated me.

All secrets and realities aside, she could be a royal bitch.

My phone dinged, pulling me out of my thoughts. Chrissy sent me Snapchat of her border collie puppy looking directly at the camera with the caption 'she wants you to forgive me for abandoning you today'. I laughed, replying with a text chat that said 'only for her.' My phone dinged again and it was a text from my mum asking- no, telling- me to go to the corner store two doors down to buy more wine. I groaned. The money was coming out of my own pocket and because she was mad at me she wouldn't ask me in person. I grabbed a fiver from my money box and jogged out the house. Naturally, being 15 I couldn't normally get served alcohol, however Mum's friend's husband owned the shop which gave me access to pretty much anything.

"Hiya Hope."

"Hi Ross," I said, "You can guess what I'm here for."

"Yes, I heard you got into some trouble. You're the talk of the town." He reached under the counter and pulled out a bottle of pinot grigio , "Saved one especially. Have it free. I know it's probably your own money."

I laughed, "That's true."

"You sure you don't need anything else? I got under-the-table cigarettes from Moscow if you're interested."

"Nah, that's okay. My mum's already mad enough at me. If I came home smelling like a Russian hooker after her shift she'd actually murder me." Ross laughed and I added: "That's cute, you think I'm kidding."

"She's your mother. At the end of the day, I know Donna just wants you to do well." He leaned in, "And I know you don't mean to get into trouble. It just surrounds you, right? Just keep your head-"

"-I know, keep my head down. Don't look for trouble-"

"-No, I was gonna say keep your head up. Be alert. You see trouble, you run straight through it."

I smiled, pleased with the advice I was being given, "Thanks, Ross. Have a good one, yeah?"

"And you."

I turned around to leave but I bumped into a tall man who'd somehow silently entered the store and was standing directly behind me, most likely listening in on our conversation. He was very odd looking too; sporting a long burgundy leather trenchcoat, a wide-brimmed red hat, black waistcoat and trousers, a red cravat. On his eyes he wore rounded tinted orange glasses which seemed to have an amber-red glow to them. From his hat peaked layered black locks and he had the biggest resting bitch face I'd ever seen in my life.

"Sorry," I said automatically. He took a long look at me (or at least I think he did, I couldn't see his eyes through his glasses) and finally grunted. I got slightly irritated and walked away, uttering "Okay then..." As I left, I saw him pulling out a photo and showing it to Ross, asking if he'd seen the person in the picture around. I thought this was weird but I shook it off and went back home.

* * *

I woke up sometime in the middle of the night with a craving for Tangy Cheese Doritos and some sesame ramen, so I sling my dressing gown over my shoulders and trudge down the stairs. The living room door was slightly open and I could see the shadow of Mum laying down asleep on the sofa, the TV on, blaring some advert. I slip past into the kitchen, rummaging around for noodles. Whilst I put the kettle on, I munched on my Doritos and hummed to myself quietly.

I hear the front door slam and footsteps going towards the living room, then a series of hushed but argumentative voices.

"Cassandra, she's my kid. Darius can go fuck himself."

"Ohh you don't understand, Donna, you have no choice."

"Like shit I do, I -"

"Shhh, your little daughter will hear us."

"Good! Let her!"

I hurry to the living room and I see my mother standing defensively in front of a tall, beach-blonde woman with heavy makeup wearing a black Adidas tracksuit. I don't know whether it was the low lighting or my eyes playing tricks, but I could've sworn she had deep red eyes.

"Mum…?" I say, nervously.

The woman stopped staring at my mother with harshness and glanced up at me, her eyes softening.

"Hi sweetie," she said, her voice as bittersweet as her face, "Your mum and I were just talking about you coming with me to-"

"-She isn't going anywhere, Cassandra. Not even over my dead body."

The corners of Cassandra's overlined lips curled upwards and she said darkly,"We'll see."

I don't know what happened next, or rather, I couldn't believe it. It happened so quickly and I thought I was hallucinating or dreaming because there was no way it was real. Cassandra hissed and clamped her mouth on my mother's neck, tearing a huge chunk out and spitting out the thick torn flesh. She licked the blood from her lips and grinned as my mother gurgled and gasped, falling to the floor with a heavy thud. Her body started spazzing out as blood poured out from her. _Literally, she was like a human tap and it was mortifying._

"Hm," said Cassandra, tapping her foot impatiently, "not half as satisfying as I thought. Well then, Hope, you'd better come with me."

I couldn't move. I just stood there, paralyzed, staring at my dead mutilated mother. My heart was frozen but tried to beat, which hurt. It hurt so much...

Just like that, she was gone. The last thing she'd said to me was 'I don't wanna see your face'. Oh God, oh God...

I wanted to do something. Anything. Yell, scream, cry, fight back but I couldn't. I was so scared and upset I couldn't function. I heard Cassandra clear her throat and shake my shoulder.

"Oh snap out of it, it's just a little blood. Now come on."

I look at her, terrified. "I-I'm not going," I say hoarsely.

"What was that? I'm sorry, you're awfully quiet." She said this in a way that made fun of how weak I was being.

"I'm not going," I repeat myself, plucking up the courage to look her in the eyes. _Those eyes..._

"I think you are." She grabs me by the throat and lifts me two feet off the ground, her long nails cutting into my flesh. I struggle to breathe and she starts walking towards the front door.

"W-what do you want from me?!" I managed to yelp. At this point, I just wanted to make this situation out alive. I tried to loosen her grip on me but her skin was practically rock. Her hand wouldn't budge one inch and my efforts to claw at her didn't seem to effect her one bit.

"You'll see when we get there." She opened the door but something in her way stopped her going any further. It was another foreboding figure. I tried to cry out for help but with no prevail, and Cassandra sighed in annoyance. I tried to make out who was blocking the door, but my vision was starting to blur badly due to lack of oxygen. Whoever it was, he was tall and wearing all dark red and black:

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Cassandra," he said, his voice deep, husky and American-accented, "I smell blood. What have you been up to?"

"Alucard," frowned Cassandra, "Should have known you'd be snooping."

"My Master thought you'd be causing trouble around here. She was right. I'm going to have to ask you to put the girl down. Her heart's stressing from how you're holding her."

"Oh, I forgot about her. And her half-dead mother in that room. She should be turning into a ghoul right about now." I'm dropped heavily and I start gasping for breath, coughing whilst I do so . I feel blood and stinging where her nails were, and my head was throbbing from the lack of air. There were so many different types of pain I was experiencing and it was all too overwhelming. I looked up at the man who was bantering with the Cassandra woman, and there was something familiar about him. I realised it was the same man I saw earlier at the shop, but something about him was generally _familiar._

There was a groaning noise from the living room and slow, shuffled footsteps. My mother emerges, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and dark circles under her eyes. My spirits lift and I try to stand up, but Cassandra waves her arm and without even touching me and I'm knocked back to the floor. Some invisible force kept pushing me down whenever I tried to stand up again.

"Don't lift your hopes, sweetheart. She's deader than she looks."

Red man sighs and pulls out a large black gun, shooting a wide hole in my mother as if it was nothing. I could see all the torn innards spilling out and I feel a panic attack starting, my chest squeezing and my world spinning, as once again my mother drops to the floor dead and bloody.

"No!" I scream out, rushing to my mother. My hands shook as I foolishly pressed the wound,"She was alive! Why the fuck did y-"

"-She wasn't alive," Red man says, without even sparing me a glance. The tone of his voice shut me up, and his eyes were now locked on Cassandra as if he made her his prey, "Now Cassandra. We both know what happens next."

Cassandra suddenly grabs me again, hauling me up off the ground and resting her chin on my shoulder,"We both knows what'll happen if I bite. It'll render her useless." _What did that mean?_

"Not if I can help it."

 _Bang._

The shot echoes and makes my ears ring. A bullet grazes my face and hits Cassandra square in her nose. She screeches, her nose hanging off by a few gory vessels, and chomps into my neck in retaliation. Red man growls and shoots another, this time the bullet hitting her in the middle of her forehead. I fall to the floor as she does, blood squirting out my throat as teeth yank a huge portion of my neck off. Breathing suddenly became difficult. I'd never experienced bloodloss before but it wasn't as simple as becoming weaker. It was pain. Awful, torturous pain. My limbs were heavy and my eyelids wanted to close themselves, yet all I wanted to do is get up and run. I start to cry but my chest hurt badly and I couldn't form words, only gargled, strained bodies. I felt myself losing to unconsciousness.

Someone propped me up against the staircase and touched my face to wake me up, making me open my eyes. The figure in front of my was Red Man.

"There's one way I can save you," he says, his voice a lot softer than it was before," Or I can leave you to be with your mother. Do you want to live, little one?"

"I-, I-"

"-Do not talk. Nod or shake."

I nodded weakly.

"Whatever happens next, you have to deal with the consequences. This was your choice, my dear. Remember that."

He pulls me forward and like Cassandra, he bites me. I winced quietly at this new source of pain, growing more and more confused. Unlike Cassandra, he starts suck, and it took me a moment to realise he was drinking my blood. _Was he a…?_

 _No._

 _They don't exist._

"They do," Red Man murmurs, pulling away from me, "And they are very real."

I tried to talk but my mouth wouldn't move. I choked up lumps of blood, my body becoming heavy and I found that I couldn't move any part of me.

Red man smiles, revealing rows of sharpened teeth, and says:

"Sleep now. You will feel the pain in a couple of minutes, so you'd might as well sleep before the worst comes." He removes his jacket and wraps me in it, "I'll explain when we get ... _home._ "

 **Alucard's point of view**

She was only fifteen years old . I've killed children younger than that but I had my orders given to me twelve years ago to turn her when it was time, and it was indeed time. She was now my responsibility and I would have to train her and teach her how to use her powers. I had to take her back to headquarters and explain what had happened to Sir Integra. She would surely have words with me about how young the girl is and how it's too soon for her to become an undead fighter of Hellsing...

 _Oh, she would have words._

It was my prediction that Hope would be more of a handful than my previous fledgling. Seras was obedient and open to learning by herself with a small push, whereas from what I'd seen Hope was stubborn and disliked authority. It would be in my best interests that she'd adapt quickly and understand how important it was for her to listen to her superiors.

I knew my Master made it a punishment of some sorts for my thirty year absence, but I'd spent a portion of my time the past years watching Hope as she grew up. It was to see if her father had tried contacting her, or if there was an outside force (like Cassandra, for instance) that would bid her harm. I saw this all as rather pointless. She was always able to defend herself and there were no other vampires where she resided, so my task was unnecessary.

Humans go cold when they're transitioning into vampirism so I wrapped her in my jacket and carried her in my arms. I stepped outside, preparing myself to return to Hellsing, when the crisp evening air blew her scent into my nose and I hesitated. There was something vividly familiar with her smell but I could not place it. I was aware of her heritage and that her father was unknown but I was somehow... acquainted with her smell. It was like a word on the tip of my tongue that I couldn't quite place. I peered closely at her face, looking properly this time, and the cloudiness preventing me from understanding cleared and I suddenly hoped I was wrong. The shape of her eyes and the thickness of her eyebrows and fullness of her dark hair were all typical Romanian features. If it were true, then this girl, as well as every being at Hellsing, could be in danger. It would be easier and less complicated to let the girl die. I remain still, contemplating my actions. With compliant training and mentoring she could become one of the strongest vampires to walk the earth. However from what I had seen, she rebellious and that would not do well in the organisation, especially after the trauma she'd just witnessed and the lack of answers we'd be able to provide for her. At the current moment, it would be better just to leave her.

For the first time in a long time, I was experiencing doubt.

 _But to let her die would go against Sir Integra's orders._

I look down as she groans in her sleep. This was motion was unusual, but it allowed me to make my decision. She was definitely strong. I could sense her spirit and I knew then that she was a fighter. I smirk, satisfied, transforming into my shadow and flying out of the tiny town and towards London.

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 **A/N reviews are like currency to fanfiction writers. Hmu with them so I can act on feedback!**


	2. Chapter 2: Clarification

**A/N Chapter two is up and running! I appreciate the support for this so far, but please continue reviewing and sending me feedback. I want to hear what you guys think.**

* * *

 **Hope's point of view**

I didn't dream but I wasn't exactly sleeping either. It was all just black with the occasional sounds of what I assumed was the outside world. I heard the sound of a car engine and faint talking but that was all for what felt like a few hours. Within my mind, I was petrified and distraught. I'd watched my mother get brutally murdered in front of my eyes when I just wanted a midnight snack, then I get mutilated a woman- a woman, might I add, who seemed to know my Mum well. I had so many questions: _why did mum know a vampire? Vampires really exist? Who is Red Man and why did he spare me? What's going on?_

As for me becoming fatally wounded... the feeling itself was nothing I could really explain. It heaved and pulsed heavily like a migraine would, and never before had I received an injury that literally spewed blood, like in a movie, except I could actually _feel_ the veins and arteries that'd been severed and I could feel the streams of blood flowing down my body. The actual pain was in my skin, and it was like there was a million lemon and salt soaked papercuts all over my neck. It burned, stung and ached at the same time which in writing doesn't sound too awful but it was. It really was.

" _What on earth have you done, Alucard?!" This voice was disapproving and angry._

 _"It was my only choice, Master. It was time."_

 _"No, you know my instructions. She is way too young. We were to wait until she got sick."_

 _"You would have rather me let her die right there and then, Master? Or become a ghoul? Or let her father come in and take her for himself?"_

 _There was a pause and a sigh._

 _"I wasn't expecting this to happen so early... this is quite inconvenient. At that age, I can't imagine how confused she- alright, Alucard. Take her to Seras' old room, and have Gene put out plenty of fresh blood, clothes, toiletries, and anything she might need. But she is your responsibility. You need to explain to her what's going on."_

 _"Yes, Master_."

 _"And Alucard? I'm holding this on you. If anything happens to this girl then it's completely on you."_

I noticed I was starting to hear things more clearly, so assumed I was coming to. I couldn't open my eyes or feel my body at all though. I just felt like a floating ball of nothing, eavesdropping on the voices which surrounded me, which was scary. One of the voices was definitely Red Man's, or _Alucard's_ I should say, but the other was the slightly croaked but soothing voice of a posh old woman.

I was regaining feeling again, finally. I felt myself being placed onto a soft bed and had blankets placed over me. I heard a light sigh of relief, and Alucard say:

 _"I know it's early..."_

Then I was alone again.

Within the next few hours I heard the sound of the door opening and closing and someone doing chores; laying out a table, using vacuum cleaner. As much as I wanted to I couldn't see anything or move and it became very frustrating to have no control over my body like that. It did distract me slightly from my grief and other emotions caused by my recent traumatic experiences, but then it began to make me panic. _What if it's like this forever? What if this is my life now? Why can't I see anything? Why can't I move? I can't even feel myself breathe! Am I paralysed? In a coma?_

Then brightness. Painful, obnoxious brightness. I shot up, inhaling a sharp breath that stung my chest. I coughed a few times, gagged, then threw up a thick substance violently. I sat there whimpering in discomfort for a moment before I noticed in my horror that a black sticky liquid was splattered on the white sheets in front of me. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and tried to regain myself. The black goo started to bubble and I grew very anxious and started feeling for my body parts for assurance. I suddenly remembered my neck trauma and my hands felt my throat, looking for a wound or bandages or something- there were none. I looked back at the 'vomit' and the thickness had gone, leaving a black mark on the bedsheets. Very soft, expensive feeling bedsheets...

After adjusting my just-blinded eyes and unhappy stomach, I glanced around the place I was in to try and make sense of the situation. I was in what looked like an old dungeon that had renovated into a modernised bedroom or hotel suite. The bed I was in was new and large, with eleborate black metal framing. There was a sofa and a glass coffee table, as well as a large black dressing table and matching wardrobe. On the floor was a large Persian style rug, and there was a television mounted on the wall. There was an open door to the right of me, which revealed a large black en-suite with white accents and modern lighting.

I flung myself hard out of bed, and the quickness of the movement made my head spin. I had to take a breath and monitor my own actions, slowly stepping into the bathroom. Naturally, there was a huge mirror so I flicked a light switch and took a long, dazed look at myself. The black vomit from before dribbled down my chin which startled me, so I turned on the tap and splashed my face several times with water. I stared back up and paid more attention to the girl staring back. My face...it seemed paler. I was pale anyway but I was almost as white as the tile on the floor. My cheekbones were more prominent and my face was slimmer? There was blood on my clothes but none where my wounds should've been. In fact, I had no visible scars or even skin tags at all apart from two slightly faded bite marks which were still sore and red. I ran my finger over them and I winced as my neck twinged uncomfortably.

"It never stops hurting," an ominous voice teased behind me,"But I've grown to like it."

I'd only just noticed Alucard standing directly behind me, smirking at me in the mirror. I backed away, my heart pounding in my chest, my breathing unkempt.

"You-you stay away from me!" I yelled, trying to sound menacing but just sounded pathetic. His presence intimidated me and I wasn't sure what to do. He just stood there, an unamused look on his face as if I'd just told a distasteful joke.

"Calm down," he said, irritably,"I am not here to hurt you." I found myself being pushed onto the bed by an invisible force into a sitting position. _What the fuck?_

"Y-you're not?" I couldn't stop myself from breathing heavily in panic.

"Look at your situation. If you were had your own room with luxuries would I really be here to harm you? What satisfaction would I get out of that? Use your brain, child."

I couldn't pay attention to what he said. I stared at the bedsheets, breathing rapidly through my nose while feeling my lungs tighten. A panic attack was on its way and I couldn't prevent it, no matter how hard I tried to regulate my breathing. _Not now..._

"Calm yourself," he chided, as if he was frustrated at my disorder,"I do not have time to deal with your overreactions." Weirdly enough, I found myself almost instantly calming down at his command. My airways opened up and my pulse slowed down to a normal rate, and my thoughts started filing themselves away. It was a strange experience but I decided it was best not to question it.

"I- I think I'm alright now," I sighed. He grunted.

"Back to the task at hand,"he continued, "I was instructed to answer any questions you have about where you are and what we do here. So ask." I adjusted myself in the bed to get more comfortable and I took a deep breath, clearing my mind and trying to pick out a question. But then the panic started creeping up again, and I went blank. I _d_ idn't know what to ask him, I didn't know where I was or who he was or what had happened. "Well?"

"Q-questions?" I repeated. I still wasn't sure if what happened actually happened or if it was all just a big prank.

"Yes, questions," he seemed annoyed that I'd asked for clarification, "About what has happened in the past few days."

 _Few days? Had it been that long?_

"Where am I?" was the first question that escaped me.

"London," he replied quickly, rehearsed."In the Hellsing Headquarters. We're an organisation who fight the malicious supernatural. You will be trained, not always by me, to effectively hunt and kill these beings."

I had to take a second to register what he was telling me.

"So...like...vampires a-and werewolves...?" I sounded so dumb and I was embarrassed.

"Yes." He didn't even hesitate. I felt extremely awkward because he just stood there staring down at me with a slight smile on his face (which I think was his default setting). He wasn't wearing his glasses which revealed two bright scarlet but tired eyes on the face of a 35(ish) year old man. Something about the way his dark circles appeared under his eyes told me he was a lot older than 35, and it appeared as though he'd been awake for a _very_ long time. His features told me that he was foreign- with a strong nose and jaw, black hair and prominent cheeks. He had a very threatening and uncomfortable vibe... something internal which was dangerous and came from his core. There was something about him but I just couldn't pin what.

"What am I here for?" I managed to say to end the uncomfortable silence. Alucard's smile grew into more of a grin (which made me uneasy) and replied:

"That all depends." I made a face at his response.

"On what?"

"On your skill set."

"For what? Killing mystical creatures?"

"Indeed."

I rubbed my forehead, having trouble comprehending the information I was just given, "I'm sorry, but I've never even come across any supernatural beings before ... let alone kill them.."

"As I said before, you'll get used to it." I frowned at this, furrowing my eyebrows together, as I tried to get my head around what was happening. _From what he was telling me, I was like him? And Cassandra was too? Did he turn me into one? The bitemarks on my neck... was I a vampire?_

 _ **You are**._

 _That wasn't my voice. Did he just-_

"How did you do that?" I exclaimed, shocked, edging away from the man. Alucard curled his lip even more, evidently amused by my surprise and my reaction. It was as if he enjoyed shocking me for whatever sadistic reason.

"I have a connection with you," he replied simply, as if it was nothing, "I can see into your mind."

"Vampires actually have powers like that?" I couldn't hide the hints of excitement seeping from my voice. _V_ _ampires are real, I was a vampire, they have cool powers, which meant I'd have these cool powers. This shit was exciting and I couldn't wait to try this shit out. What other creatures are there that the public doesn't know about? Was it a government conspiracy?_

"We can do _many_ things," Alucard said slowly, as if reminding me of the seriousness of the situation,"but I will allow you to figure them for yourself. Many abilities depend on the vampire and the, pardon the pun, type of blood they drink. Fledglings often cannot summon their familiars straight away."

" _Oh_." I let out a sigh at a grim realisation which came to mind.

"Oh?" Alucard raised a perfect eyebrow.

"I have to kill people..." I said, looking down,"to survive. Right? Drink their blood and stuff?"

"We don't hunt for our food. We have a cellar providing blood here." I lightened up a little and relaxed, feeling relieved that I wouldn't have to kill and suck some poor soul's neck. The idea of that really wasn't appealing to me at all, and I didn't think I'd have the guts to kill anyone either.

"What happens if I eat human food?" I asked, remembering the delicious and lonely Doritos and ramen I left at home," can I eat?"

He seemed skeptical about my choice of question but answered regardless. "I would not recommend it."

"Why? Would it kill me? Would it make me ill? Would I be sick? Would it be fine? Would I-"

"- _Quiet_." Alucard set me with a firm stare. I could tell my sudden excitement and enthusiasm annoyed him, and I felt a little embarrassed that'd I'd just burst like that in front of a guy like him. His presence scared me and for a moment I had forgotten who he was.

As I was processing all of the information I was just given, the fog from the past few days began dispersing and I remembered my mum... who was dead... The scenes started replaying inside my mind and I was hit by grief and anger. _After everything that had happened, why was he bossing me about and telling me off? Where was his sympathy?Why did I have to be below him? Why does he get to treat me like a novice, like a dumb kid? I see the way he looks down at me. He killed my mother, for god's sake. Why did I never think this? Why was I excited about some powers when my mother had literally been murdered days ago. Get yourself together Hope, you just lost your mum. You have every right to be upset and refuse what this man was offering._

"Listen," I say, trying to assert an established tone and clearing my throat, "This is... cool and all but... I think I want to go home. O-or to my grandparents. They're probably worried about me."

"This _is_ your home now," he replied.

"I don't see why I have to be here... you... you..."

"Say what you mean, Hope." The way he said my name- it made me shiver. It made me feel as if I were treading on extremely thin ice and I was cracking the surface, and as if he was trying to make me fall.

"You killed my mother!" I shot up, looking at him in the eye despite really not wanting to. Regardless, I gave him the hardest death stare I could come up with,"Cassandra didn't kill her, she got up and started walking! You shot her without a second thought!"

Alucard's harsh silence sent a snake down my spine. The glare he was giving me...it made my blood stop running in my veins. He was clearly agitated at me and he wasn't afraid to show it by leaning in closer, making sure that I didn't unlock our eye contact. I couldn't move any part of my body and all I could do is tremble.

"She had turned into a ghoul," he explained,"Only when a virgin of the vampire's opposite sex is bitten, they turn into a vampire. A virgin may also be fed the blood of a vampire. If criteria isn't met then the victim turns into a ghoul- a mindless creature controlled by its master. I believe this generation calls them 'zombies'."

Did he expect me to believe that?

"Vampires, werewolves, zombies- this is all bullshit!" I yelled, shaking off my fear for a moment,"You expect me to believe anything you tell me-"

"- I _do not have the patience to deal with your emotional outbursts right this minute, Hope,"_ he said, pronouncing every word with detail, "Nor I ever will. Curb your tongue and then things will be explained. Curb your tongue, and maybe I'll accept you as my fledgling."

"My mother was just murdered and you expect me do to as you-"

"-Learn where you stand," he growled, "And learn to speak to your superiors with respect, or else this won't fare well for you at all, _Nightingale_. "

With one last slightly resentful glare he left, leaving me there with emotions of confusion and fear.

And alone.

Although, I was was grateful that he wasn't with me anymore because he scared the living shit out of me.

I felt another panic attack coming on as I began to really feel the impact of what had happened. _My mother was dead and our last conversation we had was not a great one; she had said that she didn't want me in her sight. The fact those were her last words to me squeezed my heart, and that felt worse than any remorse or regret I'd ever experienced in my life. I didn't know what I was going to do. As for my personal life... what would happen about my school? My friends? What would these Hellsing people tell them? That I was dead? That I had gone to boarding school?_

I cradled myself, crying softly. Everything was unfamiliar and I hated it.

 **Alucard's point of view**

My previous predictions were correct. She was indeed very much her own person. She was stubborn, rude and ungrateful. I thought that perhaps for a minute she'd understood her situation and accepted it but all she focused on was the loss of her mother. She was still very... _human._ I'm not against a vampire having a human side. Seras' humanity makes her strong and a talented fighter however she doesn't let it cloud her mind or her objectives. She's compliant, respectful and accepts her fate. My new servant was not compliant or respectful, neither does she accept her fate. It angered me because it was such a damn waste. This girl would rather throw away her rare vampiric potential over sulking?

I can show sympathy and I do feel empathy but in this case her unneeded stubbornness made me lose any respect I decided to give her. I gave her a chance, which isn't something I do often. She'd chosen to be angry at something she couldn't change and therefore she was wasting her feelings.

Although, there is still time. It's all new and fresh to her. I thought perhaps she'll settle down after a few days but after seeing into her mind I wouldn't make any bets in that area. This could turn out either two ways: she'll accept her fate and be a good little vampire or she'll mope around and get us all killed. She didn't understand the seriousness of her situation quite yet which meant she would continue to be naive and arrogant for a while longer.

"How is she, Alucard?" Gene asked, stealing my attention away from my thoughts. I let my facial expression speak for me. "Ah. Well, she is a teenager, you know. She just lost her mother and she's woken up in a strange place. We were both there once. Have more patience with her."

He was right. It was unlike me to make such snap judgements. I let Seras have time to adjust. It would be fair to allow Hope to do the same.


	3. Chapter 3: Introductions

**A/N I made some major changes to the previous chapter so check it out if you have the time :) I know I have more time so more chapters for you!**

 **Updated: 21/2/2019**

* * *

 **Hope's point of view**

Any previous excitement faded away completely until I was left with just my anxiety and loneliness in my huge room. The realisation that I was never able to go home or tell my grandparents I was okay and alive ate at me. I couldn't bear deal with the thought that they'd never know what truly had happened. Just a randomised bloodbath that left my mother dead and my heart hurting.

I was in the stage of mourning where all you did was deny that the death had happened. It didn't feel real and everything seemed so fabricated and made up. I was waiting for my mum to pick me up and take me home, and we'd order pizza and watch a tacky horror movie on Netflix whilst complaining the whole time.

 _Mum..._

My body shuddered for no reason and I felt a weird tension tie itself inside my stomach. Even though I felt drowsy and out of place, I also felt restless. I needed to move about and get some fresh air but Alucard had put me off leaving my room because I was so terrified about what I might find. Bloody corpses on the walls, maybe? Cries of the tortured echoing in the halls? I didn't want to find out but fuck, it felt as though I was ready to run a marathon. My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and a tall man wearing a butler outfit entered with some cleaning utensils, fresh sheets and a red liquid in a slimfast bottle. He had slicked back dark brown hair and a friendly 30-something year old face. What struck me the most out of everything was a smell that apparently came from him; a rich but sour sort of smell, and for some reason it appealed to me. I didn't know how to explain it. _It was super weird._

He looked up with his hazel eyes and he seemed a bit surprised to see me sat on the bed, holding myself.

"Oh," he said, his posh accent radiating through the single syllable,"Pardon me, Miss Nightingale. I thought you wouldn't be here."

"Why wouldn't I be there?" I said, avoiding eye contact. Of course he knew my name.

"I was told that you'd be exploring. No matter... I could come back later if you want?"

 _Something I had a choice in?_

"Um... were you going to change my sheets?" I asked, quieter this time,"I threw up ...and..."

"Of course," nodded the butler, "That's what I came here for." He swiftly placed down his items and retrieved a bedcover and sheet and I reluctantly climbed off the bed, standing by the wall, watching him effortlessly work. "I'm Gene, by the way. I'm Sir Integra's butler and she told me to make you comfortable. She was under the impression that you'd go exploring, though."

"Exploring...?"

And then he smiled a genuine, sweet smile.

"Of course!" he replied with enthusiasm, "This isn't a prison, my dear girl, and you are not a prisoner. You're have full access to the entire mansion."

"O-oh..." Maybe he could tell me about what was going on? "do I uh, have to drink that? I don't feel so good..."

"I'd suggest and recommend it. You'll feel better."

"I feel sick..."

"You won't be sick again, I assure you. It was just the remainder of your life leaving your body."

My stomach seized at that comment and my anxiety made me want to get out of there, so that's what I did.

"I'm s-sorry," I stammered, "I-I need to go..." I left the room and ran, leaving the butler confused. I ran down the grey stone hallway which wore framed paintings of noble-looking men. I was obviously in some sort of basement to a mansion and I had no clue where I was going. _I just needed to find the exit to the building...something.._

There was a white flash of light and I found myself in what looked like the lobby to the building, with the front doors right behind me. There was a massive, candlelit chandelier and a grand staircase; the whole place was decorated in deep red with gold accents. My head began spinning and I was left even more confused than I was before. _How did I get here? Did I teleport by accident? How on earth-_

" _What are you going to do, mon chere_?" My eyes darted around the place to try and locate the source of the distant French man's voice," _Aren't you going to say hi?"_

" _She looks so scared... I want her to get comfortable first._ " This voice was lighter, more feminine. More London, too.

" _And how long did it take for you to get comfortable, eh? Go. Talk to her. Put her at ease and teach ze pup some new tricks. Ah, she's heard us. You have no choice now._ "

"H-hello?" I called out.

A girl revealed herself on the staircase. She was short but thick, and the first thing I noticed about her were her large breasts which made me feel sorry for my own tiny pecks. She wore a deep red uniform similar to that of a security guard, but with a tight matching pencil skirt and black torn stockings and pumps. Her hair was white blonde and tied in a messy ponytail, her bangs only just covering her large scarlet eyes. She waved at me and smiled, and something about her calmed a small amount of my nerves.

"Hiya," she chirped in response. I blinked and suddenly she was a few feet away. I could see her face better and she was pretty and looked to be in her twenties, but similar to Alucard there was experience etched into her features. "Um, well, welcome to Hellsing HQ! I'm Seras. I heard your name was Hope?"

"Yes...you heard right." I couldn't help myself sounding a little rude and I felt bad, but it didn't phase her at all.

"I'm really sorry about your situation. Master told us all about it." She placed an empathetic hand on my shoulder and this relaxed me somehow,"Someone so young shouldn't go through something like that."

"Thank you but um, who's 'us'?" I questioned.

"Pip."

"Pip?"

"Ok," she breathed," I understand this is new, and you only found out about your condition a few hours ago but I'm going to show you something..." _Her arm. Holy shit, her arm. How did I not notice that it was purple and had burgundy smoke protruding from it?_

Then a man came from her arm. A entire ass man. I couldn't not make this fuckery up if I tried. I stared in disbelief as a tall man with long braided hair dressed in a green military-sort outfit presented himself. He smirked at me and adjusted his eyepatch, then folded his muscular arms.

"My, my," he clicked his tongue,"monsieur Alucard really did something zis time."

Seras nudged him. "Behave," she chided. "Remember what we talked about?"

"I didn't realise I was the subject of such conversation here..." I muttered, not realising I was speaking out loud.

"There's a nip to this little bird too," commended Pip,raising an eyebrow at me,"you will fit right in. Better keep my men away from you for a while. They'll eat you right u-"

"-Enough from you," cut in Seras,"Back you go..."

The Frenchman laughed before vanishing, leaving me there flustered and rather annoyed. Seras smiled awkwardly,

"I'm sorry," she apologised humbly,"He's mouthy..."

"Who is he? I mean, what...-"

"- that's a really long story. I'll tell it to you when you're more settled." I swallowed nervously, and she peered at me with concern."Are you okay?"

"I feel...sick..."

"That's normal. You'll keep feeling sick until you feed though. I get it completely if you don't want to, take your time, but you need to at some point, deary. It's important if you want to-"

"- I didn't have a choice." There was a harsh silence for a moment and I felt bad again for snapping. She seemed to just want me to feel comfortable but I couldn't help but release my emotions negatively. I was so lost. I'd witnessed my mother's brutal murder, been told I was a vampire by an intimidating guy who could read my mind, and I saw a red glowing French man come out of a girl's arm.

Seras smiled again. "But you did choose," she said, sweetly.

"Yes, _he_ told me that," I glowered.

"Master means the best," she advised,"Believe me, I know how he is but he...he really grows on you. And you'll grow on him."

I scoffed at the comment, smirking in sarcastic doubt, and Seras' own smile grew wider. "You look lovely when you smile," she said, putting me further at ease. Something about her made me relax and not as frightened as before. Her chipper voice and the way she spoke settled my anxiety and I began to feel more optimistic about my situation. She explained to me in more detail what Hellsing did and what they fought and stood for. She made it seem almost noble and she didn't short out on her answers to my questions either, which I liked. She explained how drinking blood was just like having a good soup that you never got sick of, and most monsters that attacked were easy to kill and were apparently 'a good stress relief' to go through. I laughed at this, and for a while I felt better.

"It's not all bad here," she says, "We'll get you trained and you'll be in the swing of things soon. Have you met Master Integra yet?" I shook my head and Seras' eyes lit up. "Well, come on! I'll take you to meet her!"

My stomach churned at the thought of further social interaction, and especially with someone as important and notorious as Integra Hellsing. I knew who she was. She was a national figure. I'd heard so many things about her and I'd seen her talk on the news a few times too: she was calm and collected but firm, intimidating and knew what she wanted and how to get it- and that's all I gathered from just watching her on TV. Seras tapped my arm, interrupting my thought process and indicated for me to follow her. She put her hands behind her back and had a skip to her step as she walked.

Seras led me down a series of passageways and halls, past many huge doors until we reached the biggest door of them all. It was grand and ornate, with a fancy design of flowers and thorns etched into it. She knocked a little tune four times, and a slow voice answered:

"Enter, Seras."

The doors opened by themselves and Seras motioned for me to walk ahead of her. We were in some sort of study: full bookshelves lining the walls, and a large desk sat in front equally large windows which covered where a wall would be which showed the beautifully greened gardens of the mansion. Behind the desk sat Integra, who was a little older than middle aged, wore an eyepatch over her right eye and had long flowing blonde-grey locks. She wore a white shirt and black cravat, and was smoking a cigar whilst looking over her round glasses at me carefully with her vibrant blue eye. She was more than quite beautiful.

"Hope, I see you've recovered from your incident," she said, which immediately ticked me off and changed my opinion on her.

"Incident?" I retorted, uncontrollably. I know it was rude but it just came out. 'Incident' was the worst word to describe my trauma.

Yet she flawlessly ignored this comment and moved on.

"By now you should know what we do here," she continued, "So I'm going to tell you what you'll be doing. You'll go through a period of training, learning how to use your powers. Only when Alucard is satisfied with your skills then you will go out and fight in our name to protect this country."

"No disrespect ma'am, but I don't want him to teach me anything," I said, remembering how Alucard had treated me before and feeling anger start to boil my blood,"Within ten minutes of waking up he managed to threaten me twice and claimed ownership over me -"

"-And he does. As he does Seras and as I do all of you."

"What kind of system is that?" I raised my voice, not believing what I was hearing. "A system of...of... unconsensual ownership? It's just wrong, and I don't see why I have to follow orders."

Integra clasped her hands together and leaned forward on her desk, locking eyes with me in such an expression which made my insides freeze.

"Hope," she said, smoothly, "If you don't obey, then we have no choice but to kill you."

"What?"

"We can't have vampires roaming around with humans without guidance. You might lose control."

She clicked her fingers once and Alucard floated up through the floor and became present in the room. Of course, he was grinning directly at me with dagger like teeth. I nervously held my arm and I struggled to keep eye contact with Integra. I didn't know what was about to happen and I was scared.

"Yes, Master?" Alucard answered, his voice gravelly and excited.

"Kill her."

"Whatever you wish..." He didn't even hesitate coming towards me.

"N-no, wait a second!" I urged, looking at all of them. Integra showed no interest, reading a book that was on her desk. "S-Seras? Help me!"

Seras just stood in the corner watching with sadness in her eyes. _Why wasn't she helping me?_

"This is what happens when you don't obey," Alucard said, a red threatening mist emerging from his person whilst he backed me into the wall, "We can't have a newborn fledgling wandering about, especially one who hasn't touched a drop of blood. Your vampiric instincts will take over your conscience and you'll act out to feed your needs..." He reached for my throat with his hand and gripped tightly, cutting off my air supply. "You need to be controlled by a higher power, or else you'll be weak. You need to obey your masters, and what you're being is disobedient..." He squeezed tighter and I clawed at his hand, desperately trying to loosen his grip. His hand bled from my nails digging into his flesh but that didn't phase him. It seem to fuel his psychopathy, "Therefore you are useless to us."

"I- I-" Pressure started building withing my body and head as blood struggled to circulate efficiently. My adrenaline pulsed as his fingers got tighter and tighter. My tearful eyes were locked with his and it was terrifying how much murderous intent there were in them, as if his life's only goal was to kill me. "Alucard please..." I begged. For a second there I thought I saw something change in his eyes. Only for a second..."Please..." This second beg seemed to make him more motivated and he chuckled darkly, watching life drip from my body.

There was a sensation of bursting which I at first thought was a blood vessel popping, but I realised that the room was shaking, furniture rattling and the ceiling crumbling slightly. My eyes were clouded in whiteness but suddenly I was able to breathe and I gulped for air, falling to my knees, my hands going to my sore neck. I spluttered and coughed, my body in shock. As my vision returned and my ability to breathe was normalised, I noticed that everyone was staring at me. Books were on the floor as if there had been an earthquake, Integra's ashtray was smashed and there were cigar butts on the floor and all over her table, and there was a dark scorch mark on the flooring from me to Alucard. _Did I do that?_

I look up at Alucard, who had an expression that resembled pleasant surprise on his face. Integra appeared pleased too but Seras just looked sad.

"Good. Your training starts tomorrow," Integra said, too calmly for what had just happened. "I'll have Gene go to you when it's time. Get some rest, child."

I look down at my feet, feeling helpless. I let out a quiet "Yes, _Master.._." and start walking away, admitting defeat. I stopped myself when I heard talking and curiousity got the best of me, so I decided to eavesdrop:

"Sir, was that really necessary?" I hear Seras burst, "She's just a little kid and she's terrified. I can hear her heart beating so fast it's like it's going to burst out of her chest... how could you be so cruel?"

"I know it was, Seras," Integra replied, "I was in her position before and fear drove me forwards."

"She's not ready for that! She needs support and love because right now she feels alone! Her mother was literally just killed, she needs time to mourn and she needs comfort."

"Those are very human traits, Seras," Alucard said, "Too human. A habit she needs to get out of."

"A habit that both of us still hold onto, Master."

"You know better by now than to talk to me with that tone."

"But it's still a valid point, right, Sir?"

"...yes."

 _The conversation challenged my prior perspective. A soft soul Seras was so calm around Alucard that she'd talk back to him like that? And Integra claimed she was just trying to get me used to what I'd be facing in the future?_

My head hurt from all the conflicting opinions and I became overwhelmed by emotions, but decided not to cry until I was somewhere safe and secluded. I hurried away from the door and tried to find my way back to my room.


	4. Chapter 4: Strength

**A/N (23/7/2018) keep in mind this isn't one of my proudest chapters, and I noticed that people get to this chapter when they read this story and then bail. Please keep reading. It gets a lot better, I promise :)**

Updated: 21/2/2019

* * *

I don't remember falling asleep at all that night even though I woke up on top of my bedcovers feeling drowsy and headachey, almost like I had a hangover. Memories of the previous day returned to me thus concluding the mystery of the hangover-like feeling: I had eventually found my way back to my room and I sobbed for about an hour after the traumatic choking incident. I cried for my mother too. It was awful not having the one person you'd go to about everything.

It took a while, but I gradually calmed down and listened to the logical part of my brain talk. A little voice in my head told me that everything I'd been informed by Alucard was true, so that meant I had cool powers, therefore it would make sense if I tried to use them, right?

It took about two hours and so much concentration I felt my mind dehydrating, but I managed to make a chair hover two inches. It seemed impressive at the time, but it wasn't worth how physically awful I felt now.

I looked around my room to see if anything had changed and I couldn't believe I didn't notice right away but there was a coffin right next to my bed. _A coffin._ It was shiny and black with silver edges , and the inside of it was covered in a shiny pink-red material. I stared at it for a while, not really knowing what to think of it. I couldn't tell if it was a joke played or if the higher-ups had instructed for it to be in my room.

"You've got to be kidding," I said to myself. And _of course_ after I said that, a white note of paper slowly appeared inside the coffin out of thin air. I stretched my limbs before reaching down for the note and rolled my eyes as words in black cursive started writing themselves.

' _You have started exploring your powers but you still refuse to drink. If you wish to keep these powers and develop them, you only have two options. The first being to drink blood, and the second is sleeping in a coffin lined with the soil of your birthplace. This can only sustain you for so long therefore you must be wise. Do not disappoint me like you've already proceeded to do. Alucard."_

It was as if I could hear his weird, gravelly voice as I read it. At first, I was surprised Alucard would even bother even contacting me, seeing as I was such a _huge disappointment_ to him. Then again, the apparating note was extra and from what I could tell, Alucard was definitely the type of person to be extra.

I sighed, glancing at the note in my hand and then at the coffin. I was very tempted to 'test it out' but I simply didn't have the energy to humour myself like that. I was too exhausted and everything hurt.

"Ouch, fuck!" I dropped the note as it started to heat up in my hand. More writing began to form at the bottom of the page :' _That's why you have the coffin, you're too weak to handle the power of another vampire'_ it said, as if replying to my previous thought. I squinted my eyes, scanning the room. Now that I was concentrating on it, the room did have a strange energy to it... almost as if I wasn't alone. It was the sort of feeling you'd get after watching a horror movie by yourself in your dark bedroom, but much more intense. For instance, the foot of my bed had this strong bad vibe and it made me positive I wasn't alone. Then it occurred to me: _maybe sensing entities was a power of mine?_ I focused on the area with all my willpower. I felt a weird vibration from my core as I stared at that precise spot, as if something was resisting whatever it was I was doing. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my insides, and continued to focus with as much energy as I had left. A silhouette began to become apparent, and to my utter displeasure it was Alucard.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, glaring at Alucard. The courage that came with these words was unusual for me, a girl who has a hard time even looking her school teachers in the eyes, let alone a freakishly powerful vampire who killed my mother without blinking.

"I was testing you, and the results are more promising that I thought. Your powers are more advanced than everyone expected. And after barely touching blood? Remarkable."

My glare deepened because as always, the red man was smirking, and this time it pissed me off. I realise he'd just called my abilities remarkable but his general mannerisms just rubbed me up the wrong way and just... _angered_ me: "I bet you didn't test Seras like you test me."

"She never needed testing, she was always willing. Also, I don't appreciate that tone, Nightingale."

"You don't appreciate a lot of things, do you?"

His smirk lowered a little into something more sinister and he took his glasses off to look at me with a chiding stare with his tired, dark eyes.

"Obviously your time with Integra did not teach you anything," he said, his voice disapproving, "Do we need to revisit that event, I wonder?"

"because that was just another test, wasn't it?" I retorted. I had to admit, I was pleased with that comeback and my newfound bravery but I was low-key shitting myself. I knew I was being rude and I knew it was unnecessary but damn, it did feel good to stand up for myself like that. "How many more times are you going to 'test' me with some sleazy, manipulative fuckery?"

"This new spike of confidence isn't fitting you well."

"I think it fits me just fine." _Hope, cut it out. You're going too far._

"I think you need to quit while you're ahead." _Do as he says. He's the scary tall man, he calls the shots. He could snap your neck so don't test him. Don't run your mouth._

"I don't remember ever asking you what you think. I'm _so_ tired of people like you pushing me around! I just got here and everyone expects me just to abide and adjust to this new life straight away. Well, I can't do it!" _Well done Hope, you've officially run your mouth all the way to China and back. Good job._

There was a tense silence in the air, and Alucard's eyes remained on me. I was more confident than I had been previously, and this time I managed to maintain eye contact with him. I started to notice little details on his face that I hadn't noticed before- that his eyes had flickers and glimmers of bright orange as well as red in them, and that he had many fine lines bordering his eyes, aging his face overall.

"I wouldn't waste my time toying with my fledgling," he said, finally, "I do not do anything just for fun. _Our_ Master has instructed me to let you know you have training with the mercenaries in an hour. The courtyard. See how your _attitude_ fares with them." He turned to leave, but I called out:

"Why couldn't Integra just sent Gene to tell me? I thought he was the butler."

"Because she told me to and I obey her without question. As should you."

He still scared the shit out of me, but damn, did he piss me off. I knew that one day I was going to give him a piece of my mind but for the time being, I couldn't be bothered to deal with him. My best bet so far was to ignore the guy.

I took some deep breaths, calming my irritation, before climbing under my bed to sleep.

* * *

I woke up to Gene gently shaking my shoulder."Miss Nightingale," he said softly, "You have training with the mercs now."

I groaned, waking up slowly. I rubbed my eyes, thanked the man and went to the bathroom to sort myself out. I brushed my hair and put it in a bun, splashed water on my face, and headed out.

I arrived at the courtyard and there were about a dozen men in dark green uniform standing and chatting by black bags of expensive and heavy-looking equipment. They were quite a bunch, each of them had very different faces and features but all of them were smiling and laughing. From what I could tell, they had American accents and they didn't seem so bad...

"Look who decided to drag herself from her grave!" someone shouted. There was an uproar of laughter and I immediately retracted my statement. I responded with pursing my lips and raising my eyebrows. _Cheesy vampire humour. Nice._

"Wow, she's young. How's first grade going?"

"You idiot, she's in Kindergarten obviously. You know girls take offense to that sort of thing."

"Well, if her age is on the clock, she's old enough for -"

"-That's enough, gentlemen," came a familiar strong female voice. Integra was standing on the front steps of the mansion, sort of peering down at everyone.

"Yes'm," the bunch replied.

"Now as we've discussed, we have a new member with us," she continued, "She is young indeed, but do not underestimate her. She doesn't have much knowledge in terms of weaponry or combat and that is why you have the honour of training this young vampire. Try to be polite, or as polite as you can fathom. Good afternoon, men. "

The men saluted and Integra left, her long hair flowing behind her. _Damn, even her hair is boujee._

"You ever been in a fight kid?" I jumped as someone slammed their hands on my shoulder. I glanced up and a merc with a scarred face with dark brown hair tied in a ponytail was looking down at me, grinning cheekily.

"Uh...a-a few times," I stammered. This caused more laughter.

"Right, sure you have!" brown hair replied. He stepped away from me, still smiling, and offered his hand for me to shake. I took, and he introduced himself: "My name is Sanders. I'm the captain of these goons." He pointed at a shorter man with a blonde buzzcut and a big nose, "that there is John," and to a tall man with bright ginger hair, "that's Clem, " and to a very buff man with a belt of knives, "that's Train," and to a man with scars all over his face, "That's Goat."

I nodded politely at all of them and one of the heavy bags was dropped in my arms."Take this," said Sanders, "and follow us."

We walked around the back of the mansion whilst the mercenaries made jokes about me having trouble carrying my bag despite it being quite light. I ignored them and followed Sanders. He seemed to be the most mature one of the group and didn't make fun of me as much as the others.

It reminded me of school when the teacher puts you into randomly selected groups, and a bunch of sporty boys pick on you as you try to get on with the work. It was unpleasant, but at the end of the day I knew I was the bigger person so I tried not to let it bother me.

We got to what looked like some sort of training ground straight out of an Assassin's Creed game. I had to admit, it looked amazing. There was climbing apparatus', a shooting range, wooden dummies, different types of swords and blades strung up on display as well as guns. It was any 12 year old COD player's fantasy.

"Have you ever used a gun?" Sanders asked. I shook my head and he scoffed, "Figures. Open your bag."

I unzipped the bag I'd been carrying and inside it was a dissembled sniper rifle. _It was huge._ I looked at in awe for a few moments before Sanders clicked his fingers in my face.

"Our instructions today are to help you find your weapon of choice," he explained, "Seras has her big ass canon, the Big Guy has his 454 Casulls and Integra likes her handy revolver. Oh, and Gene has a tomahawk and daggers. So little girl, what do you fancy?"

"I-I don't know," I answered, " I haven't really used a weapon or anything before."

"Well do you like video games?"

"I guess. Sometimes."

"What's your favourite weapon in a video game?"

"I like swords..."

"What kind of sword? Longsword, broadsword, ninjaken, samurai...? "

"Ninjakens are okay..."

More laughs. Sanders patted my back and headed started looking at the bags, muttering to himself. "Aha, this one." He handed me a thinner, lighter bag and I opened it. Inside was an ornate ninjaken, with a silver handle embedded with green gems with an intricate pattern that resembled tree branches. It was beautiful.

"This baby is special," Goat said, "It's 500 years old but fuck, is it sharp. Cut a ghoul in half without even trying."

"Remember not to cut yourself with it when you're down," Clem joked. "It'd slice your whole wrist off." I glared at him for the poor taste of joke,

"That's awful," I snapped, "Not to mention untrue."

"You sure? Black hair and everything I thought you w-"

"-Let me guess- emo? Goth? Black hair and eye bags mean I cut myself because I'm a sad, depressed girl? I'm not, so do shut up. _Please_." The men 'ooed' mockingly and grinned at me. I knew it was a tactic to make me feel uncomfortable and small, and it worked somewhat. All I wanted to do was stay hidden in my room away from them. They were so obnoxious, reminding me of everything I hated about men.

"You pack a little punch, don't you?" Sanders said, raising an eyebrow, "Well let's see how good you are at sparring. No weapons, just hands."

"You expect me to fight one of you grown ass men?" I asked in disbelief, slightly scared.

"Yeah. Or what, you're worried you'd break a nail, sweetheart?" He chuckled to himself and indicated me to follow him, "C'mon, in the ring." I joined him on a raised tile platform that had a wooden barrier around it. There was weird brownish red stains on the ground, and the wood looked worn and chipped. _That ring had seen a lot of training for sure ... could I even take on any of them?_

"Let's see how confident you really are." Sanders got into a fighting stance and I copied him, feeling butterflies in my stomach. _This 30 year old man was about to beat me up. Fuck._ "Fight." _Fuck!_

Sanders swiped with his right fist and I luckily dipped out the way. He did the same again, and then with his left. I didn't move fast enough and he clipped my ear. I recovered myself and he went to knee me in the gut. The wind was knocked out of me and I was punched in the face. This knocked me to the ground. Oddly enough, I wasn't in nearly enough pain as I should have been. It was as if my face absorbed the pain and gave me strength to repel it. I got back up, and returned to my ready stance. I ignored the others cheering for Sanders and laughing at me, and locked eyes with the man. I began suddenly motivated to beat this guy... _extremely motivated_. My butterflies turned into adrenaline and I start to feel a warm feeling in my hands. This fight suddenly became the most important goal in my life. I had to win. I forgot all my problems and the only issue I had in that moment was him.

"You ever gonna hit me?" teased Sanders, "Or are you just gonna let me keep punching you? I hate to hit a wom-" he stopped when my fist met his balls and he strained, releasing a low wince. I elbowed him hard in the face whilst he was bent over, and I could tell he knew I wasn't messing around anymore. He restored himself and began trying to grab me but each time I got out of the way. I swiped my leg hard at his ankle and he was swiped to the floor and landed heavily, and whenever he tried to get up I just knocked him down again. I felt powerful and I loved it. Eventually, Sanders had enough and his face was starting to get bloodied; a split lip, cut eyebrow and blood coming out both nostrils. He tapped on the floor three times, indicating that he bailed.

"Okay," Sanders said, "Okay, you win." I smiled at him and held out my hand to help him up. He narrowed his eyes at me for a second before accepting it. When he stood up, he winced and his leg buckled. His men rushed to his aid, supporting his weight.

"What the fuck was that?" Clem exclaimed, "Integra said you hadn't even drank blood yet, why do you have your shadow already?!"

"I'm sorry, but what?" I asked, totally confused.

"Your aura, your spirit...whatever the fuck you wanna call it," answered Sanders, wiping his bloody nose,"It's what makes you a vampire. It's dormant until you drink a lot of blood and absorb someone's essence"

"I've barely touched any blood," I said, still confused, "Honestly, I haven't. Not enough to... absorb an essence I don't think...?"

"Well we're not bullshitting," said Clem, "It was there. All green and black and all." No one spoke for a while and everyone was just staring at me. It was extremely intimidating and I didn't know what to do. I just sort of stood there, puzzled and anxious, waiting for someone else to say something.

"I'm going to talk to Integra," announced Saunders, picking up a bag and limping away, "Hope, you can go back to whatever you were doing. We're done for today."

"I didn't learn anything though?" I complained.

"Not our problem at this point," Sanders snapped, "You're too advanced for this..."

They left, leaving me there in the yard confused and slightly pleased with myself. I couldn't help but feel proud that I was exceeding other's expectations of me- it was good for my ego.

I later found out that I had fractured a bone in Sanders' knee from kicking him too hard. It was so weird to me because even though I had felt energetic, I didn't see any green-black mist or whatever it was. I just thought I was super strong. I was later told those guys were trained in the military and apparently are some of the best at hand-to-hand combat in the _entire fucking world._ I had no clue of this beforehand so it made me even more confused than before. As for the blood thing... I mean, I'd licked a tiny bit but that surely couldn't have done anything? Besides, I was fatigued most of the time so none of this made any sense to me.

When I finally arrived back to my room, I was surprised and happy to find that someone had brought my mobile phone, headphones and charger from my house. I smiled, feeling warm inside at the gesture and it was the first real feeling of happiness I had felt since I got here. It's the fact that a person had been so thoughtful to go back home and bring me my own personal items which meant something to me. I sat on my bed and switched on my phone, putting in my headphones and listening to music. I lie down, relaxing from the most confusing day of my life.

 **Alucard's point of view**

I had watched her fight. She was slow at first, which was expected, only dodging attacks and not striking properly until she was provoked. She was fast and knew how to place a punch. It was clear her strength came from her core and she fought with pure intention- a promising sign. What really stole my attention was the black and green glow that started radiating from her body as she attacked. Not only was it impossible for her as a newborn vampire who'd barely fed, but the colour combination confirmed my suspicions about her heritage. That shadow was identical to _his_ , which made her his child. It was inevitable.

I decided would keep that information to myself. I wasn't one to have personal matters but this very much counted as one. I would have to investigate further, watching Hope to see if any other traits of hers showed trademark signs of her father.

There was still a minuscule possibility that it was all coincidence and I was wrong, but in this world nothing was ever a simple 'coincidence'. I could only pray I was wrong because if that was the case, then there was potentially a lot of danger about to present itself. More than I had presumed before.


	5. Chapter 5: Developments

Updated: 21/2/2018

* * *

Before I knew it, three months had passed.

Well, I was very aware that three months had passed. It went slowly and quickly at the same time.

Gene only woke me in the nighttime so I was awake at night, which I found to be typical. I didn't complain, I learned to do as Integra expected of me because I was too emotionally exhausted to talk back. I had twenty minute lessons with her every week about the history of Hellsing and stuff about vampires. It was incredibly interesting but my body did not want to pay attention because I wasn't feeding. I couldn't bring myself to drink that red liquid... I found myself only staring at it and unable to even pick up the spoon.

I also found myself having a lot of time to myself, which is why I didn't get why it was so important that I stayed at Hellsing HQ in London instead of being at my grandparents in the south, where I'd be happy and comfortable. Sure I had my phone and everything, but I was forbidden from contacting my friends and replying to their messages. All I could do was listen to music and play on game apps. I could like photos and _look_ at social media, but I couldn't comment or reply to the angry DMs of my former friends. I knew Hellsing would have some sort of way of checking, like some sort of mobile phone hacker to see what I was doing. I didn't know what would happen if I got into trouble so I didn't test the rules. Truth be told, I was too tired to.

I know I was excited before about my 'powers' but they stopped working by the end of the first month. No matter how much I concentrated, I couldn't lift up anything or summon that mysterious green-black mist. On top of this, I felt physically sick all of the time and my body hurt, and I knew that it was because I refused to drink blood. All fancy powers aside, I just wanted to be human. I wanted to go to school and talk to my friends and come home at the end of the day and relax. Sure, I had a lot of free time here but I didn't feel like I could be _free._ I was so exhausted and had no motivation, which made me suspect that I was started to get depressed. I'd never really experienced mental illness but I began to feel this numbing sensation in my core and it made my emotions dull. Everything I thought and felt seemed pointless and I often found myself staring into space with no thoughts in my head. That's the closest thing I can come up with to describe it. Of course, I Googled my symptoms and every website I found and every forum pointed it straight to depression. I should be worried about that but I can't care enough about it.

I hadn't seen Alucard in a long time. _Good_. He was rude, mean and frankly he terrified me. I couldn't accept him as my 'Master', let alone call him that. It didn't feel right and my morals made me refuse to think of him as such. The few times I had encountered him he made me feel shitty about myself, his burning amber-red eyes judging my every bone and his razor-toothed grin making me extremely uncomfortable. What was so amusing all the time?

Anyway, the reality of my situation was I was stuck in my dungeon-bedroom for a good amount of the night with nothing to do because after two weeks of being here my combat training had fully stopped. I can't recall the reason Integra gave me because I don't care to remember it. I thought it was great that I didn't have to talk to those sexist assholes anymore and spend all day on my phone, relaxing in my room. Of course, it didn't end up being like that at all.

The day came where I got so bored and finally decided to explore. I hadn't actually looked around the mansion before because it was very huge and confusing, but I had decided that it was time for me to go on a small adventure. Well, large. It took me ten minutes alone to leave the basement area. The ground floor was pretty standard- huge staircase, crystal chandeliers handing from the high up ceiling with renaissance paintings on it. The rooms consisted of conference areas, a library, a dining room, ball room, what looked to be an oversized living room and a kitchen. The first floor had a few empty bedrooms, another library, and what seemed to be an archives room. I didn't feel like snooping around too much so I ignored it and mentally saved the note to search that room at a later date. There was a strange set of metal doors at the end of the west hallway which stood out, so I went to investigate. I opened them and instantly felt a chill, as if I'd just opened a fridge. It apparently was a giant fridge, full of shelves with fancy bottles of what smelled like blood as well as transfusion-style blood packets lined up on the walls. I sighed, unamused by the sight. I closed the fridge and even when the doors were jammed shut again, I felt a harsh chill run through my body; a different sort of chill. My instinct made me look behind me and I could have sworn I saw a shadow move into one of the neighbouring rooms. I narrowed my eyes for a moment before continuing on with my adventure, which turned out to be incredibly boring. I found a weapons room but I didn't feel like playing with the many knives and swords and guns. It didn't really meet my fancy. After two hours of looking around, I decided to go back to my room. I remembered the way back but as I began to walk the long journey of halls and stairwells, a thought struck me: in the two hours I had been exploring, I didn't see one person. This struck me as odd but I was too tired to overthink it, so I just concentrated on going to my room and going back to sleep.

* * *

"Miss Nightingale." Someone shook my shoulder whilst I slept. "Hope."

"Hmmm?" I opened my eyes and my body started to ache dully as I came to. Gene was standing by my bed, his hands clasped behind his back. "What time is it, Gene?"

"3pm," he answered.

"Why so early?" I stretched my limbs and moved my legs out of bed, slightly irritated that I'd been woken up. "Is there like a meeting or something...?" It took me a while to notice but a suitcase was sitting by Gene's feet. I eyed it for a second and then looked at Gene for an explanation.

"Sir Integra thought it would be good if you stayed at your grandparent's residency until you feel better," he said.

"Wait, what ab-"

"-We told them that you have an illness which requires a special treatment so we took you on to look after you."

"That's a lame excuse..." I muttered, "So what, when do we leave?"

"Now, Miss Nightingale." He picked up the suitcase which was apparently mine now, and I followed him out of my room. Though I was somewhat happy to hear that I'd be staying with Gramma and Grampy for a while, I was anxious. I knew there was a reason they were sending me away, and I knew it was most likely not a good reason.

We ended up outside the giant stone steps which led up to the mansion where there was a shiny black Rolls Royce waiting for us. Gene put my bag in the boot and I got in the back of the car. If I had more energy I'd be fanning myself over the fact I was taking a ride in a Royce but I didn't so I just sat there in empty silence. The journey to my grandparents down south would take 4 hours from London, so I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

"Miss Nightingale, we're here."

The car pulled up to the familiar semi-detached house with ivory vines covering the the front of it and wildflowers planted along the sides of the drive. Gene opened my door for me and I groggily climbed out, squinting at my surroundings and scratching my head. Before we reached the door, it opened, and two familiar faces beamed at me, before being full of concern. My grandmother, Rose: a short and stout old woman with perfectly white hair always in an intricate plaited hairstyle. She had these crimson glasses on a string of multicoloured beads which hung around her neck. She always wore very lovely floral dresses and reddish-pink lipstick which suited her perfectly. My Grandpa George was a tall thin man with the kindest brown eyes anyone could ever look into. He had very little hair and always wore a funky bow tie and a baby-blue button up shirt matched with an even funkier cardigan vest. Both suited one another like tea and biscuits.

"Oh Hope!" Gramma exclaimed. She flung her arms around me and gave me a tight squeeze. I gave in to the affection and hugged her back, inhaling her wonderful old-lady scent. It was a lot stronger than I remembered, but it was still home to me. I parted from Gramma and hugged Grampy.

"You're so thin now," he commented, after pulling away.

"And so Pale! Look how pale she is, George!" Gramma grabbed my face, inspecting it intensely through her rectangular glasses.

"I- I'm ok, I promise," I said weakly, suddenly being overwhelmed with emotions. I had missed them so much. They were always so loving and accepting of me, which was the opposite treatment I'd recieved back at Hellsing. It was almost a relief to be swaddled and babied.

"And who's this nicely dressed man?" Gramma asked.

"Mr and Mrs Nightingale," Gene nodded his head in respect, "I'm Gene, we spoke on the phone."

"Oh, _you're_ Gene?" Gramma said,"Oh my, well I thought you'd be a lot older! Thank you ever so much for taking care of my little Bird."

"Not at all, madam."

"How's she been behaving?" asked Grampy, "We all know how she can get."

"She has, erm, done very well. Very good manners." I could tell he was only trying to be polite.

"Come now," Gramma said, "I'm sure Gene here has a girlfriend to go home to so we'll let you get on with it." She started pulling me into the house.

"I don't actually have a girlfriend," answered Gene, somewhat bashfully, "and here is your bag, Hope. I'll retrieve you on the 15th-"

"- Hope," Gramma interrupted, "What did I always tell you to do whenever someone has done you a huge favour?"

"Gene hasn't-" I protested, but got cut off.

"-He and his employer have taken you in and looked after you. Now, what did I teach you?" For the first time in months, I felt embarrassment. Heat rushed to my cheeks at the thought of what she wanted me to do.

"Grammy, I only did it when I was little because everyone thought it was cute," I murmured.

"Well it's cute and it's what a lady should do to say thank you," Gramma answered strictly. I sighed and furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at Gene with an expression which showed how reluctant I was about what I was going to do. I kiss him on both cheeks and say ,"Thank you, Gene." Gene's throat made a noise like he was suppressing a laugh and he nodded his head at me:

"Not at all, Miss Nightingale. I'll see you on the 15th." He nodded his head at my grandparents again and walked back to the car. My grandparents pushed me lightly into their house and shut the door behind them. Grampy took my suitcase,

"I'll put this in your bedroom," he said, before vanishing. Gramma put her hands on my shoulders and looked at me with an expression bursting with love, but also concern. She was quiet for a while and took the time just to look at my face fully, before she sighed and sat down in a nearby chair, remaining quiet. I began to pick up on things about my surroundings and it comforted me: I could hear classical music playing softly from the distance, and I could hear a snooker game being played in another room. The washing machine was whirring and somewhere there was a marble water feature ornament running- one that my mother gave Gramma for her birthday a few years back. All of these things were so ... _nice._ They made me feel peaceful and calm and the persistent homesick feeling I had at Hellsing was almost completely gone.

"How have you been dealing with it?" she asked me. I knew what she was referring to and my heart twinged in pain. I hadn't thought about it in months and when Gramma mentioned it, the scenes came up in my head of the night of when it happened.

"I miss her," I replied, sighing sadly, "I have a hard time understanding that it did happen..."

"I know, Birdie. I know..." Her gaze rests on the staircase through the next room, the way Grampy went.

"How's Grampy been handling it?" I ask.

"Oh you know him. Hard front, but he's having a difficult time processing it in his heart. He's started to show signs of... you know... _dementia_."

"Oh Gramma!" I hug her again. "Is it bad?"

"Not at the moment. He has his forgetful moments but it just gets worse from here."

We sat in silence for a minute, both just enjoying each other's company.

"This is so surreal for me," I say quietly, "one minute, I'm at home yelling at her, the next I see her get killed and I just...I just..." My eyes start welling up and my throat becomes scratchy. I look at my grandmother with tear-filled eyes and she coos, stroking my face with her thumb.

"Do you want a heated blanket and for me to put on a Disney film for you, Birdie?" she asks. I nod, letting out a sob. She puts her arm around me and leads me into the living room.

* * *

 **Gene's point of view**

After a solid 8 hours of driving, it was a relief to park the Rolls Royce back in the garage. I could be up all day and night sending messages and serving food, but if there was one thing which exhausted me it was driving.

The drive was worth it to keep Hope safe.

Even though Hope had only been around for a few months, it would be strange to me that I wouldn't have to wake her up or put a fresh blood bowl out for her every day. I fully sympathised with her situation, but I did think she was making it more difficult for herself than what was needed. Then again, she was only a youngster. She still had a lot more to learn about life that she'd pick up very soon if she'd listen to her peers. I remember that from when I was a teenager- I refused to listen to anybody but myself. It wasn't a necessarily stubborn thing, it was more to do with my mindset at the time...

I always felt awful keeping secrets from her, though, especially since she always wanted to know what was going on. The girl was desperate for any clues about what was going on, and she'd been persistent with me. I knew she was very bright and had clocked that there was something up, but she hadn't figured out what. The reason Integra instructed me to place her at her grandparents is because there was going to be a large attack (or several) in the next few weeks. We received a threatening note which told us to prepare. We weren't particularly concerned for our own safety, but Hope was not mentally ready to participate in a potentially big fight.

See, there had been many attacks throughout Hope's stay at Hellsing but Sir Integra didn't want to put more strain on her shoulders so she ordered all members to keep Hope in the dark. Her bedroom was away from where any of the fights happened so she wouldn't have been able to hear any action. The attacks all link to a vampire called Hias. He runs a Manson-like cult of well trained female vampires with unique Familiars. Cassandra, Hope's attacker, was a part of that cult and was one of the head figures. Before recently, Hias hadn't been much of a threat to us. He was noted, but he was mostly just a power-hungry nut who left our territory alone for the most part. That was until he sent his girls to kill our spies and private investigators. We didn't know anything about Hope before before then, so what linked her mother to Hias was what had us all confused.

"A lot on your mind?"

I look up from being in deep thought and see Alucard sat on the front steps of the mansion. I take a breath and sigh,

"Too much, old friend," I reply, "Too much."

"Speak of it."

I rub my tired face and take a moment to consider the words I wanted to use: "Her spirit was immediately lifted by her family. She's obedient with them to a point where her grandmother told her to kiss me on the cheek to say thank you and she did-" Alucard raised his eyebrows in mild surprise and I smiled at him in acknowledgement- "I know. But..."

"...But...?"

"She's weak and getting thinner fast. She's been throwing up, vomit and blood, and tried to cover it up. It's as if her body's rejecting the vampirin cells and the worst part is she understands that... she doesn't care if it kills her."

Alucard didn't respond. He remain sat on the step staring into space. I could tell that something was bothering him from what I'd just said, but I failed to make the connection myself. I let him have his thoughts to himself for a few more moments before I cleared my throat, trying to prompt a response. There wasn't one, so I said: "Now there's a lot on your mind."

"Indeed there is," he answered, "This may be more serious than we had anticipated."

"What do you mean?"

"Vampirin is only rejected from the body for three reasons. The first: if a female vampire bites a female, which in this case is what happened. The second: if the vampire doesn't drink blood. The third: if there's a child conceived between a human and a vampire. With that last one, most of the time when a vampire and human have a child it dies prebirth because of rejecting the vampirin already in its bloodstream. It's rare that the child survives and if it does, the vampirin remains dormant until it's woken by the bite of another vampire of the same bloodline."

I narrowed my eyes, slightly catching onto what he was saying but also slightly lost at the same time.

"What are you getting at?" I asked.

"Hope was bitten by Cassandra. But she survived that, which only leaves that last reason."

"I understood that much," I said, "But you're the one who turned her, yes?"

"Yes."

"But you're not related-" I stopped myself suddenly realised what he meant. _Oh my God. "_ Darius is Hope's father, isn't he, Alucard?"

"...yes...he is..."

"We have to tell Sir Integra immediately." The news hit me out of my tired mindset. If Darius was involved in all of this and wanted Hope, it couldn't possibly be for good intentions. If Darius was involved, the whole situation could get so much more deadlier.

I glanced at Alucard as we ventured to Integra's study. It made me wonder what he thought of this recent development. We were indeed friends and I honoured that because Alucard himself was a legend, however he (of course) never talked about his feelings about matters. I didn't expect him to and I didn't burden him with my venting either unless he asked, but there was an amount of respect between both of us which I valued. However, I was entirely curious about what he thought and felt about the new-found fact that whether he liked it or not, he was Hope's Uncle.

* * *

 **A/N some vampire science for ya'll. I hope that wasn't too hard to follow and remember to leave me a review if you can!**


	6. Chapter 6: Bird

**A/N another person made another amazing fanart! Search 'smeggi' on deviantart and it's on my page! I'm so flattered!**

 **This one's a bit of a long and intense one, and if you're not down for that I'm so sorry : ( I just felt like I needed to get to the action already. A chapter usually takes me about two hours to write, but this one took me near enough three days because I wanted to make sure everything was in order.**

 **Updated: 21/2/2019**

* * *

 **Hope's point of view**

"Are you sure you can't have a nibble of some cake and break your diet?"

"Come on. Just a bite."

"Some spaghetti? Oh but you love spaghetti!"

If I was given a pound for the amount of times my grandparents tried to stuff human food down my throat the past two weeks...I'd be rich. I felt awful whenever I had to refuse. I loved their cooking when I was human!and they loved to cook for me too. It was a grandparent thing, I think, which is why it was such a shame to see the disappointment on their faces when I said "no, I can't. I'm sorry..." The food smelled delicious but I knew I couldn't fake eating it.

I don't know what they thought my medical condition was, but they definitely bought it. It broke my heart to see them so concerned for me, like they were going to lose me. The sad thing was is that if I had immortality as a vampire, chances are I would outlive them. I know grandparents normally die before their grandchildren but the point remains that I should have died the day my mother was killed. I also didn't want to live in 100 years from now and still mourn for my family. The thought of that made me wish I had died.

Speaking of death, I felt like such. I was puking daily and I had a cold fever. My body was hot and sweaty all of the time but I myself was freezing, and every movement hurt. The scary thing was that I had no idea what was happening. You know when you come down with a cold you swear is more than a cold so you Google it and WebMD is telling you it's 50 types of cancer and Ebola? That's how I felt, except I knew WebMD didn't have any answers for my precise condition.

And to see Grammy and Grampy watch me being frail and gross...it hurt.

"Hope."

Grammy brought me out of my trance and I smiled.

"Hi," I said.

"Are you feeling okay, Birdie?" she asked, touching my clammy face. I shook her hands away, chuckling weakly.

"I swear I'm fine, this is a part of my condition. It'll happen somedays."

"Yes but recently you've been getting worse."

"I'm okay." I kissed her cheek and she spared me a smile but the worry didn't fade from her eyes. That hit me right in the heart. Grampy saw that too and he put his arm around his wife and ruffled my hair.

"Why don't you go down to the corner store and grab us some milk and sugar, darling?" he said, handing me a ten pound note, "we're running short, eh?"

"Sure thing." I took the money and he pointed to his cheek for a kiss. I laughed and kissed him. I put my tie die hoodie on and I called out:

"I won't be long! I'll see you soon."

* * *

 **Gene's point of view**

We had a traitor in our midst. The entire building had been on lockdown yet someone had overridden the controls and the barriers and locks we had on every possible entrance had been lifted. A flood of ghouls had been directed to flood in and just cause havoc. Nothing we couldn't handle, but it was a pest. Integra realised straight away that it was a distraction technique but wasn't sure for what. My orders were to go to the CCTV control room with Seras, find out who the traitor was and interrogate him. Simple enough, just Friday night work.

Alucard had swiftly yet (of course) messily taken care of all of the ghouls on the first two floors before retiring in his quarters. He usually wouldn't assist us at all unless we were severely outnumbered, which was the case this time. I met with Seras by the front doors and we headed into the basement to get to the control room. The hallways were, naturally, full of ghouls.

"Are you going to turn again?" Seras said, almost tauntingly.

"Only if I have a task which requires a great amount of skill," I replied, "You know this, Seras."

"Oh come on Gene! There's about 200 ghouls down here."

"And you could effortlessly take care of them in moments."

Seras laughed, "You're right, you're right." Her arm grew large burgundy waves and she looked at me for confirmation. I drew my two daggers from my belt and nodded, giving her the signal. Barely 30 seconds later, we were standing in an ankle-deep pool of rotten-smelling blood and body parts. I looked over at Seras, who was appearing to be somewhat sad.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"It's just... the thing that always gets me is that they were people once," she said, mournfully. "Someone murdered them for fun and now they're mindless pawns."

"Remember, my friend: their souls leave as soon as they turn into ghouls," I assured, "Come, the control room's over here." I retrieved my keys from my belt and unlocked the door to a large room covered in screens and panels. I typed in the password to access all of the video files and scanned through the footage from earlier tonight.

"Who do you think it will be?" Seras asked over my shoulder.

"I don't know. I try not to guess because I'm almost always surprised. Remember Walter?"

The reply I received was a sad sigh.

I spent a few more moments looking through the files until I spotted a figure in a clip acting suspiciously. It was one of the security guards from the front gates; Harry, I believed his name was. In the video he was opening the front gates despite his instructions to keep them locked, and he ushered vans onto the Hellsing site. I followed him on the cameras until he was at a fuse box, overriding the controls for the lockdown. I skipped a few files to find the most recent video of him hiding out in the gardens, smoking a cigarette as if he was waiting for everything to blow over. _Such a careless man._

"He's in the west gardens," I said to Seras, "You know what to do."

A few minutes later, I had a beaten up, bloodied man by my feet. I placed the tip of my dagger on his chin to force him to look up.

"Now," I say, not breaking eye contact, "We're well aware this was a distraction. But for what?"

"What does your master think?" he spat. I let out a disgusted grunt.

"If Integra felt you were worth her time, she'd be interrogating you personally. But she is not. So I ask again: what's the purpose of this little circus you put on?"

Harry didn't say anything. He had a sort of cocky arrogance I didn't care for or respect because it was _stupid_ cocky arrogance. He thought he was in a high position but I could already tell he was being played, probably convinced to betray his employees for a handsome sum of money or something more... like _immortality._

"You don't really think Hias would turn you?" I mused.

"He said he'd turn me himself."

I laughed out loud. His statement had confirmed just how stupid he was. _The fact he had said that so confidently as well... I couldn't help but feel sorry for him._

"Males cannot turn males," I said, and his smug face dropped, "You've been conned."

"Wait...what? But no, he promised-"

"-The reality of it is that he used you. Now I'm guessing you don't actually know his plan so you're wasting _my_ time too." I raised my arm, dagger in hand, about to end the man's life.

"N-no, wait! I know something!"

I lowered my weapon, narrowing my eyes at him. He seemed desperate after realising his faults but any man about to die would be.

"Proceed," I say.

"I wasn't supposed to know but I overheard him talking to someone. I-I think...yeah, I think his name was Darius. They were talking about a plan to capture Hope and use her for something. I don't know why, t-they didn't say but something about him getting what's his or something."

"What else did you hear?"

"That Hope was of a special bloodline. P-please, Gene, don't kill me. I swear, I-"

"-Shut up." A realisation starts to put itself together in my mind. Whilst Hellsing was swamped in ghouls, there was no protection for Hope... _But what did Darius want with the girl? For her abilities? What was he going to do to retrieve her...?_ My attention returns to my desperate captive. His bruising eyes are full of tears and he looks truly pathetic. I place my daggers back in their sheaths and take a deep breath. "Thank you for your cooperation."

"So you'll let m-" I break his neck.

"Seras, please could you tell Alucard and Sir Integra that Hope is in grave danger. I in the meantime need to start start cleaning up. The Prime Minister is visiting tomorrow and I don't think he'll appreciate the stains."

"Of course, Gene." Seras pats my shoulder lightly in appreciation before disappearing, leaving me alone with the body of a traitor. All I could do at this point is wish Hope the best.

* * *

 **Hope's point of view**

It was starting to get dark when I went to the store so I didn't feel the scorching burn of the sun trying to melt my skin. I tried to make my errand as fast as possible because being outside made me uncomfortable. The shop clerk tried to make conversation with me but I had to wave him off and say I was running late for something. The journey was only five minutes but I somehow made the whole trip took me three _. I just wanted to go to where I was familiar and happy..._

I open the front door and place the honey and sugar on the kitchen counter.

"Gramma, Grampy, I'm ba-" I turn around after hearing a gurgling sound and I felt the emotional equivalent of a knife in my heart at what I saw. My grandmother was leaning on a chair, her leg half ripped off and her head hanging unnaturally to the side, her neck tendons showing. Her eyes were rolled to the back of her head and she was shaking violently. I sob loudly, collapsing to my knees.

"H-Hope..." I look behind me and Grampy is holding onto the stair railing, his hand pressing a wound on his stomach, "She's still here, call the police..."

His words didn't register in my head and I stared at him, still in shock.

"Gramma's moving- Rose! Rose!" Grampy ran down the stairs to go to his wife's aid, unknowing of her true state. Grammy was indeed moving, but her eyes were clouded and grey, similar to my mother's when she was-

"Grampy, go hide!" I instructed firmly, realising what was happening.

"But Rose is-"

"Listen to me, she's not alive. She's a ghoul. A zombie. She was bitten, yeah? " Grampy nodded. "Then she's a ghoul. She's not her anymore and I'm sorry. I have to... I have to kill -" I let out a shriek as I'm grabbed by my undead grandmother. She was a lot stronger and heavier than I'd anticipated and my body almost gave way at the foreign weight. I struggled and I pushed her face away from my shoulder as she snapped her teeth, trying to bite me. I reached for the knife drawer and grabbed the closest one possible.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. I closed my eyes and I drove the knife into her skull with a loud gruesome crack. There was a thud as she dropped to the ground, twitching and bleeding out. I turned around, shaking and traumatised, and looked down at the old woman that I had loved so dearly and what I'd done to her. _This is what they want me to do at Hellsing? Kill and kill and kill and keep killing?_ I don't know whether it was the gore or the sadness, but I felt my stomach churn and ran to the sink, puking up a thick black liquid again. I stood there for a minute as Grampy rubbed my back soothingly.

"Who did this?" I asked him, weakly.

"I wish I could say," he replied, grunting and squeezing his wound, "I heard rattling and the next thing I know I'm stabbed and Rose is gone..."

"Let me see." He removes his hand from what appeared to deep claw-like cuts from his ribs to his hip. "You need to go to the hospital, you need stitches, yo-"

"-Bird." Grampy gently holds my shoulder, silencing me,"calm. Worry about yourself. It's going to be okay."

"No..." I disagreed, "No, it's not okay until I find out who's responsible."

"That would be me." This voice was unfamiliar.

I turned my head towards the conservatory and there stood a woman. She was shorter than Cassandra (recap: the woman who'd killed my mother) and had a different style, opting for kitten heels and black jeans paired with a frilled cream-coloured shirt instead of a tacky Addidas outfit. What stood out about her was her eyes. They were of course red, but they popped against her pale skin and had a frighteningly hungry glare to them.

"What do you want from me?" I yelled out, scared to my guts.

"Your grandfather's right, Hope," she said mockingly, "You need to calm down." She began approaching us, a smug expression on her face. Naturally, I stepped away when she got near me.

"You're trespassing," Grampy said, standing up straight despite his injury. The woman ignores him and keeps her piercing eyes locked on me.

"My name is Rachel," she says, "You remember my colleague Cassandra, don't you? She was supposed to do this job but she's a little bit dead at the moment. It's been burdened on me now to take you away so please made this as easy as possible." _This all started to add up in my head. There was someone sending people out to retrieve me, but that lead to a bunch of other questions such as who and why and what was so important about me? I was weak and 'insufficient' as Alucard like to say. What was going on?_

"Take me where?" I demand, though fear is spreading through my body like a disease.

Rachel waves her arm and Grampy was thrown against the wall. There's an audible crack and he drops a small revolver as he tenses in agony. Rachel tuts, slowly walking towards him. She picks up the revolver and examines it, chuckling. "This is so very illegal. Also it wouldn't do much good on me." She puts the gun to her head and pulls the trigger. The bullet goes straight through her head and flies through a nearby window, but she remains standing up and smiling, "See? You however..." The gun is now pointed at Grampy.

"Stop!" I shouted, horrified at what I'd just witnessed," Don't hurt him!"

"Well, I sort of already have." She kept her eyes on my grandfather, seeming to be on a power trip with the gun in her hand.

"He's human. He doesn't know about anything." This caught her interest.

"Really?" Her eyes moved onto me. I got lost in how oddly hypnotic they were for a few seconds before I managed to gather myself and reply:

"Neither of them do- I mean, did. I-I don't even know why I was put in their care. I'm just thrown around!"

"Hellsing knows why though..." she glared at me angrily, "Took me some time to track you down, I'll tell you that." She checks her watch and exclaims to herself as if we were having an ordinary catch-up chat on the street. "We're running late. Come on, Hope."

"N-No."

She raises one of her perfectly-shaped eyebrows in disbelief, "No?"

"I'm not leaving here."

"I'm sorry _sweetheart,"_ she says through her gritted teeth, "But we have to go."

"You're not taking me anywhere." I stand my ground even though I was weak and frightened. I knew I wouldn't be able to take this woman, but I'd already lost one grandparent. My heart couldn't take it if I lost another. The thought of it made my eyes start to well up again, and this was apparently amusing to Rachel. She laughed spitefully.

"Are you serious?" she asked, her voice higher than normal,"Tears? Fucking halflings..."

 _Halfling?_

She grabs my arm and starts to pull me towards the front door. I dig my nails so hard into her hand that she started to bleed, yet she proceeded to drag me.

"Get the fuck off me!" My sadness quickly started converting into anger. _She was going to get away with killing Gramma; the woman who'd been my shoulder to cry on when I felt alone; the woman who fed me whenever I was hungry and treated me whenever she could._ "I said _get the fuck off me!"_ With a large shove from me, Rachel let go of my arm and stumbled back but she regained herself quickly and gave me the dirtiest expression she could muster.

"Stronger than I thought," she sneered, moving some loose hair away from her face. "No matter." She went to restrain me but I struggled, elbowing her in the face and making her nose start bleeding. This didn't make her any happier and she snarled at me, yanking me to the ground in one harsh motion by my hair and pinning me.

"They say that the blood of a halfling can make you so much more powerful," she growled. She used her forearm to keep me down by the neck and I began to choke for air as she pressed down on my windpipe. I tried to push her away but she was extremely strong for someone who was that thin. "My Masters strictly stated they wanted you alive... so they wouldn't mind if I brought you barely alive..." I spat in her face as she lowered herself to bite me. Her response was to hit me in the face repeatedly until my vision was blurry and my head was dizzy. I heard my name being called out by Grampy but everything else was fuzzy and my nose was sore from being broken.

I could feel Rachel's teeth piercing my skin but everything else was numb. So numb that I didn't even feel her weight on me at all until I realised she wasn't on me anymore. I heard a low masculine chuckle echo around the house which made me feel my hairs stand on end. Something about that laugh was familiar, but I was too dazed to process anything that was going on. My head finally calibrated and I sat up, my entire body hurting from my assault. I looked ahead and Rachel was standing a few feet away from me with her right arm hanging from her shoulder. Nausea overcame me and I began puking again, not being able to stomach the gory image. I'd seen stuff like that in movies but never real life so I didn't know that the smell of blood from a wound like that was pungent. Rachel looked angry but she wasn't paying attention to me anymore.

"Always the arms..." she growled, "You're like a kid who traps flies just to tear their legs off."

"What can I say?" a voice returned the banter, "I find it _fun_."

 _Alucard. What was he doing here?_

Whilst the two talked, I crawled over to my grandfather and cupped his face."Grampy, are you okay? How hurt are you?" I wiped some blood off his cheek. The old man wheezed and adjusted his position against the wall,

"Hope, I- I don't understand..." he managed.

"I don't either."

"No...what are you...what is she... m-monsters?" He coughed.

"I wish I could explain, I really do but I can't right now." I was expecting a disappointed look in his eyes. Instead, his expression softened and he smiled at me. His shaky hands rose and touched my face.

"You're a good girl," he said, "A good, strong girl. Whatever is going on, I know you can do it." We both jumped as there was a crash in the living room. Alucard and Rachel were battling it out, but I didn't care for that. I only cared about the one family member I had that was still alive. I began to get choked up again and I started crying.

"Are you going to die?!" I bawled, holding onto his hand tightly.

"I think so..." He moved forward slightly, revealing that he'd been impaled by a metal table leg. This made me cry harder, my little soul not being able to take all of the emotional pain and a sadness covered Grampy's face, "No, little bird... it's alright... it's alright. I wouldn't want to live without your grandmother anyway..."

"What about me?" I murmured, glancing down, "I can't live with both of you gone." He spared a laugh.

"Always so stubborn," he teased, coughing heavily after, "But strong, like my Donna. You two are birds of a feather."

"I love you, I'm so sorry..."

"I love you t-"

" _-That's enough of that_!" Rachel's voice screeched. There wasn't enough time in the world to process what was about to happen: in a fit of irritated rage, Rachel stabbed my Grampy in the chest with a large switchblade. She drove it deeper and deeper, until the handle was under his flesh. My world became slow and I let out a howl of grief, crawling closer to Grampy as he spluttered and spat blood. His eyes rest on the body of his dead wife before they went completely blank, leaving me for good. This was too much...

"Y-you didn't have to do that!" I yelled, staring up at Rachel with a hurt expression. Her arm had somehow reattached to my amazement and there was no sign of Alucard. Another layer of concern joined the river of emotions I was already experiencing, but it was nothing compared to the unbearable sadness. I clutched onto Grampy's lifeless corpse and cried into his jumper until I was dragged away by my collar.

"You're coming with me now, before your Master wakes up." This time I was too weak to fight or even struggle. I just sat loose, accepting my fate, focusing on the intense heartbroken pain that I was feeling.

 _"Be careful what you wish for, Rachel_."

Rachel huffed an annoyed sigh, dropping me and turning to look at Alucard who was standing at the kitchen doorway.

"Why don't you ever stay down long enough?" she hissed at him.

"Because I don't know your intentions yet. What does Hias want with her?"

Rachel scoffed, "Hell like I know. I just do what I'm told. Now be a good little pet and let me take her, thanks." She picked me up again and opened the door, waving at Alucard sarcastically as she stepped out into the porch.

"I don't think so."

Suddenly there was darkness enveloping the two of us. Something pulled me away from Rachel but I couldn't see or feel what it was. Whatever it was laid me down carefully on the floor and kept me away from them. I squinted my, trying to make sense of the situation, but they were too puffy and blurred from all the crying.

"I'm worth for you to summon your familiars?" I heard Rachel mock.

"I have always been resilient with you and let you go when I've encountered you. I would not bother wasting effort killing one of Hias' escorts, however you've bitten off more than you can chew this time and my Master won't stand for it."

"Woof, woof, said the lapdog."

There was a low, rumbling growl that seem to erupt from the ground. I kept hearing hisses zip around my head, as if there was a bug flying near me. It made me paranoid and I hugged myself, shaking my head and hoping that these terrifying sounds left me alone. What I next saw was...supernatural, if that was even the correct word. There were demonic barks and I swear on my life, beady red eyes appeared in mid air, blanket the mist in its haunting stare. Something else was forming too; something large with teeth.

 _"I'll show you what a lapdog can do."_

 _No, that's impossible_. _Was Alucard doing all of this?_

I hauled my weight onto my hands and knees and tried to crawl closer to where the action was happening so I could assure myself what I'd seen wasn't real. I was hoping that it wasn't because if it was it meant that Alucard was a lot more dangerous and terrifying than I'd once thought.

I was at a distance where I could see the faint silhouettes of Alucard and Rachel. Rachel had a violet glow around her, focusing around her fists and nails. Her attacks featured mainly swiping and scratching, and she was quick like a cat with her movements. Alucard, however, glowed red and... _Oh my fucking god._

There were large hound heads coming out of his arms and they lunged at Rachel.

 _This can't be real...this can't be real..._

I knew that Alucard had been instructed to protect me, but what kind of sheer power did that _thing_ possess? It was clear in this fight the only reason Rachel had survived that long is because she was fast, but if she halted even for a moment she'd get torn to pieces by Alucard's vicious dogs. There was screaming and loud high-pitched noises which embedded themselves into my brain, escalating the amount of trauma I'd already had. Never before had I felt my body full of every single negative emotion it could possibly feel all at once. I was more than overwhelmed, I was more than in a state of pure panic. I didn't know what to do whilst I watched the two vampires snap at one another for what seemed like hours but was actually probably a few minutes. I was just... empty. Blank. Nothing.

"Alright, I get your point already," I heard Rachel say breathlessly, "I don't have time to play anymore."

And like that, she was gone. _She appears and murders my grandparents and then disappears just as quickly._

The dark mist, hounds and eyes and all, were sucked into Alucard's figure. He made a noise of disgust, looking at where Rachel had vanished into thin air for a moment before his attention was on me and he began walking in my direction. Just like that, all of my fear-related emotions hit me at once and suddenly I was absolutely petrified of him. I scrambled back into the nearest wall, my chest seizing up in terror.

"Y-You stayaway from me!" I cried out. I wasn't just afraid of what he was capable of, I was afraid because every time he showed up in my life someone I loved was snatched from me.

"We must go back to Hellsing," he said, an almost calming note to his voice. I didn't fall for his deception.

"I don't have to go anywhere with you." My own voice was full of emotion, cracking and breaking as tears poured down my face, "You turn up one day and everything which ever made me feel safe is taken from me! And you yourself... you're not a vampire, you're something else! Something darker-"

"-Oh?" Alucard marveled, "Then what am I?"

"-something evil! The fucking Devil!" He took a step towards me and I jolted back as far as I could, but I was in a corner. I knew he could kill me and I felt like he was going to. He didn't stop walking towards me and my heart was beating against my chest at what felt like 100mph, and my brain was screaming at me to run away yet I couldn't move. I peer at him cautiously through my clouded eyes as he crouches down in front of me.

"You're dying," he said. This threw me off guard completely.

 _What?_

 _"Wh-_ what do you mean I'm dying?! What has that got to do with anything?!"

"Your body is rejecting the vampire cells I woke up in you. If you don't drink soon you'll be dead in a few days. That would be such a waste on my part. Now come." He stood up and prepared to leave, expecting me to follow him. I stay put in my corner, looking at the still bodies of my grandparents.

"...I-I don't care."

There's a silence for a moment.

"What did you say?"

"Everyone and everything I love is gone," I answer, "Everything...a-and e-everyone..." I begin breaking down again. "I don't want to live like this in any way, shape or form... especially not under the wings of _you!_ I never wanted any of this to happen..."

I'd never that look on his face before. If I didn't know any better, it was sympathy. I didn't know how to react to it so I just stared ahead of me, my mind blank and my body weak. I didn't have control of what I did next; I don't even remember my brain sending the instructing to do what I did. It was as if I blacked out for a minute and what was left of my instincts had taken over my body. When I came to, Alucard had his forearm by my face with all material shredded from it: his jacket, dress shirt- everything. My mouth was clamped around his forearm and I was drinking his blood feverishly. I pulled away, mortified of what I just did.

"I-I didn't-" I wiped blood from my lips, "that wasn't-"

"-I know," he answered, "You need to live, Nightingale. Only cowards give up."

Instead of getting angry at me, he simply offered his arm for me to drink from again. Still scared and confused (and frankly humiliated) I waved him away, clutching myself, feeling disgusted about what I'd just done. I couldn't stop shivering either even though I wasn't cold. The blood had warmed me up a considerable amount and I felt somewhat healthier, but what happened just lingered in my mind, flashing in quick clips, traumatising me all over again. I didn't even notice Alucard trying to talk to me, I was so lost in the scenes playing inside my head. He realised I wasn't paying attention and spoke louder:

"Nightingale." It was like his voice was inside my skull so I leered up at him, not breaking eye contact.

"Get m-me out of here please," I whimpered. After a sudden flash of black we stood in the entrance hall to Hellsing HQ. Seras had been talking to Gene quietly about something exciting, but when she saw me she gasped and covered her mouth. Gene also looked shocked and rushed to my aid.

"I'll inform the Master of the events," Alucard said to him. Gene nodded, wrapping an arm around me and leading me in the direction of my room. I instantaneously began crying into his shoulder, letting whatever emotions wanting to present themselves do as they pleased.

"Come on," Gene said gently, "Let's get you cleaned up."

 **Alucard's point of view**

I watched Gene help the Nightingale hobble off into the distance. She broke down on his shoulder, finally able to let out her emotions safely.

That moment I made her drink from me was the moment I felt every inch of pain she was experiencing. That was our blood bond; when two vampires drink from one another, they can form a strong mental link and feel the other's emotions almost precisely. It was outstanding how such a young girl could feel emotions so intense in such a short space of time, and it was so bothersome.

Of course I'd sensed others fear me before and usually that gave me an advantage I could manipulate, but with Hope being scared of me I felt no sense of satisfaction at all. In fact, I felt something that was similar to shame.

She was extremely lost, too. Not only was her mother gone from her grasp now, her beloved grandparents were. Family wasn't a concept I'd had much luck with in the past, but I understood how important it is to many. Without hers, Hope was ready to give up and just let herself die which was something I didn't stand for. I could not let her give up on herself like that. As troublesome as this girl was, I felt the need to protect her and help her grow stronger.


	7. Chapter 7: Baby Steps

Updated 21/2/19

Gene ran me a bath and gave me his mobile number in case I needed anything. The bath helped relax my muscles but not my mind. I sat there in the now-cold water contemplating everything.

I was simply traumatised. That was the only word to describe how I was feeling. There was so much going through my mind and my body that I ended up feeling both everything and nothing at once. I'd been depressed before, I'd been sad for no reason, but all of this - this was horrible. And Alucard's blood... that awful, savoury liquid had given me energy which juxtaposed to the emotions I was experiencing. I honestly felt disgusted with myself after Alucard had forced me to drink from him. When Gene had taken me back to my room I had instantly tried to throw it up, though I don't think that did anything.

I was still so scared of Alucard and of what he could do. My mind couldn't comprehend his powers and the possibility of what other vampires could do. I don't know why I didn't see it coming, I mean... Seras had that mystic arm. _Why did I overlook the French man living in her arm?!_ And that look on Alucard's face when I was too scared to go near him. That _kind_ look. I don't know why, but that stuck in my head. The guy was always so intimidating, tall and foreboding to a point it made me feel ill but that moment he almost made me feel like everything was going to be alright. It almost made me forget what I had just gone through.

After everything that'd happened, I was missing my mother even more than before. We didn't get along about 60% of the time but that other 40% were just purely happy times where we made each other laugh so hard it hurt, confided in one another, and did mother-daughter activities such as do each other's hair and makeup. My Mum was a beautiful woman; she had a renaissance painting appearance about her with small plump lips, round rosy cheeks, blue eyes and very long mousy blonde hair. She was mostly kind but hot-headed and wasn't afraid to speak her mind, and I admired that about her despite it causing issues in our relationship. I got that hot-headedness trait from her and we'd always find reasons to argue with one another. She always considered me, though too. If she saw a top she thought I'd like she'd bring it home, or if she knew I had a bad day she'd bring me home a bouquet of lilacs and irises because I loved purple things.

I put her through so much right before she died, like pissing off older boys so that they'd tried to beat me up. I had a habit of giving people a piece of my mind if they insulted me or someone I cared about. I caused unnecessary trouble for Mum just because of my weird sense of self-righteousness. And that fight that I got into before she died... it only happened because I exposed this kid called Luke in the year above me in school for cheating on his girlfriend (who happened to be my friend Georgia), whilst his mate posted photoshopped pictures of my friend Kim sucking his dick. I forwarded the pictures to the college he applied to with an explanation and the police got involved for 'indecent exposure of a child'. Both of them got in a lot of trouble but in my eyes, it was 100% worth it at the time. Kim was a quiet girl who did no harm, and Georgia was the sweetest girl there was. I _had_ to do something and Luke and his friends got so angry to a point they decided to corner me and threaten me with pathetic little pocket knives. I still don't even remember how I managed to fight them off. I remember that all four of them ended up bleeding and I'm pretty sure one ended up with a broken leg. I didn't ever consider being that strong as a human. I'll admit that I thought it was weird how I mostly won fights with guys, not that I got into fights often, I just always put myself into bad situations which always ended up in Mum finding out. And when I fell out with my mum my grandparents were there right away to help fix it.

Funny thing was, my instinct was to go to my grandparents and tell them about what was going on.

I'd lost everything I cared for. The fact I felt so alone didn't help at all... I didn't know what to do with myself or who to talk to. I knew Hellsing wasn't out to get me but that didn't stop me from feeling so scared.

Days quickly turned into two months since the incident with my grandparents and it struck me one day that I hadn't actually seen anyone around at all. I mostly stayed in my room with the television on in the background, just sat on my bed, and I let time go by. I hoped that something bad would happen to me so that I didn't feel the way I felt anymore.

"Hello? Hope? Can I come in?"

My self loathing was interrupted by a soft voice coming from the other side of my door. It was Seras. I found it to be strange how as soon as I realise that I hadn't seen anyone for a while Seras knocks at the door.I sighed, sitting up from the fetus position I'd spent in for about a week.

"Come in," I answer after a while. The pretty blonde girl enters, a nervous puppy expression on her face. She holds her mismatching hands at her front politely and takes a moment before saying:

"It kind of looked like you needed company. Everyone is really worried about you and I feel for you. I mean, I was in your position not so long ago."

I perk up a little, "Really? How long ago?"

"Well, to be honest it was thirty years ago but I remember how it felt. You know, I didn't drink blood or anything for a long time when I got turned and it made me weak."

"Did you just come in here to convince me to drink?" I frowned at her, my hope for making a friend disappearing. _The higher ups probably sent her._

"W-well, I -"

"-That's all I need to know," I cut in, "please can you leave."

"Wait." She sat on my bed next to me and placed her burgandy hand on my shoulder. I wasn't too fond of this but I sensed that she didn't mean any harm so I allowed it, "Please, just hear me out."

"fine..."

She took a deep breath, "I know what it's like to see your family die in a gruesome way. I know what this period is like and how empty everything is. You think there's no use eating, o-or in this case drinking, but you just lose the will to keep going. And you know what? That was my biggest mistake. But what you need to know is that it's okay to mourn. You need to get it all out before you recover, I understand that. Just don't hurt yourself anymore. It isn't worth it."

This hit me. She was right in a lot of ways. I was beating myself up for something that wasn't even my fault in the first place.

"You're right," I sighed, "No, you're right Seras...thank you. I needed to hear that." I paused, hesitating to say what I wanted to say.

"What is it?" she said. She rubbed my shoulder in encouragement,"It's okay, you can say it."

"What happened with you?" I asked, "I mean, since you know what happened with me..."

"My dad was a police officer who got too close to cracking down on a drug gang...and two thugs broke into our home and murdered my parents in front of me when I was a little girl. They shot me and raped my mother's body whilst I watched."

I just stared at her, bewildered. This was incredibly shocking for me to hear, and the fact she said it with such ease as if it didn't affect her anymore. She still had a sad look in her eyes but her face was completely calm and it didn't match.

"O-oh...Seras..."

"I went through years of lashing out at others until the orphanage therapist gave me the advice I just gave you," she continued, "so I set myself straight and decided to become a police officer like my dad."

"Did that help?"

"The training did I suppose, discipline and all... but the day after I got my badge I got held hostage by a vampire and his ghouls in Cheddar and Alucard had to shoot me." _Again, casually just giving me this information. It reminded me how as soon as Alucard came into my life my loved ones were killed. So did that make this all of his fault?_

"A woman just turned up to my house and demanded I go with her..." I said, "And then Alucard appears and my mum dies. And the same happened with my grandparents. He just turns up at the wrong time when it doesn't matter anymore."

"It's not Master's fault," Seras defended, "He's just following orders. We don't exactly get an accurate live feed of what happens either. Hellsing has to hear through sources confirming the nature of these attacks before we can actually do anything."

"It's not even that...I don't understand what's going on at all. Why am I wanted? Who is Hias? Why did that-that _woman_ call me a halfling?" My voice was starting to raise in anger and I grow tense, clenching my fists. I ravel in my anger for a while before I notice Seras is staring at me, her eyebrows furrowed, as if something was bothering her. "What is it, Seras?"

"I don't think I'm supposed to tell you this..." she said quietly, "But um...we think that you were born half vampire and your dad wants you back."

What.

 _What._

I apparently blanked out for a few minutes because Seras tapped me on the arm. "Um...Hope?"

"Yeah... uh ..." I didn't know what to say, "So this Hias guy is my dad...?"

"No, Darius is."

"Who's Darius?"

"Your dad."

I rolled my eyes at her, "I gathered, but like...who is he?"

Seras shot up and shook her head, "No...no... I'm sorry Hope, I've said too much."

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed, "Just tell me."

"I'll get in trouble! You weren't supposed to know until we found out where he was and stopped whatever he was doing."

I groaned, feeling extremely irritated but I didn't blame here. I knew that Integra would probably give her an earful if she told me any more, and I didn't want that for her.

I look at her face and I realised that she was actually really young. _Like, really young._

"Seras... if you don't mind me asking... how old are you?"

"Umm let me think..." She scratched her eye as she worked things out in her head, "49?"

"No, I mean before you turned."

"Oh! I had just turned 19." _She was young too._ "Don't be so sad for me," Seras said with a sweet reassuring smile, "I had a choice. Just like you."

"I didn't have a choice in any of this," I snapped quickly.

"But you did. Master gave you a choice to die, didn't he?" My automatic response was 'no' but when I thought it over, I knew Seras was right. Alucard had given me the choice to live or die and I remember I felt so frightened of bleeding to death on the floor. _Yet currently I'd rather be dead than be given orders by a rich lady and her freakishly powerful vampire servant._

"Yeah..." I answered eventually, "He did..."

"Listen to me Hope, this place is not an evil prison. But you agreed to serve Alucard and Integra. It's not all about choice either, you are actually _bound_ to Alucard."

"But that doesn't change the fact that death just goes where he goes!"

"Yeah but to be honest... do you think he likes the fact where he goes, people die?"

"I-I mean, I-..." I stammered, not knowing how to reply, "Don't you get used to that after a while?"

"Sort of. But he is a person regardless." I understood this was a valid point, but that didn't matter to me. Alucard still scared the living shit out of me and I knew I'd feel terrified if I was ever in the same room as him again. I knew I had to face him at some point in the future but the thought of that made chills run down my spine. Seras once again sensed something was wrong and prompted me to tell her what the matter was, so I told her. I explained to her what happened at my grandparents and what he managed to manifest; the dogs, the eyes, the dark shadow thing. To my surprise, Seras was relatively unphased.

"You, um, are aware that vampires can do a lot more than run fast and hit hard?" she said.

"I know we can do stuff with our minds and someone mentioned familiars to me... but I didn't think that you could do anything like _that_."

"It's scary at first, I get that. I was terrified and he got mad at me for being frightened but it's what he has to do when things get tough."

"I suppose..."

She reached forward and held my hands suppotively. She started to say something but I didn't hear her voice. Instead, a scene appeared before my eyes:

 _I saw what looked to be Seras but with blue-ocean eyes instead of scarlet, and a beige Hellsing uniform instead of dark red. She cautiously hopped out of a cupboard and peered around, calling out for Alucard but all she could see was the horribly mutilated bodies of about 20 SWAT team members. I felt what she felt and it was incredibly familiar- the building anxiety from hoping what had happened hadn't. She spotted Alucard and she stopped, petrified, as she realised the truth. He instructed her to prepare for battle but she wasn't ready just yet._

 _"Is there a problem?" Alucard asked condescendingly, "Do as you're told."_

 _She couldn't keep in her thoughts,_

 _"But...Master..." she said, "These people...these are humans."_

 _"Your point?"_

 _"These people are human beings!" she yelled. Her fears extended when Alucard quickly moved towards her and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her off the ground effortlessly. His face was furious and his fanged teeth were showing and snarling._

 _"I don't care what those things are!" he yelled back, "They came here to try and kill us. It no longer matters what they are. Now they must die. They'll be slaughtered; corpses; left to rot in their graves like filth. This is just the way it is, this is what has to be done! And no one has the power to change that. Not God, the Devil or you!"_

 _"I-I know..." cried Seras, "B-but ... they're just..."_

 _The fury in his eyes softened into a look of regret. "This is just the way it is." He dropped Seras to the floor._

I returned to reality, dazed and confused. I found out I was also on the floor, with Seras crouched next to me making sure I was alright.

"What...what just happened?" I asked, my head banging.

"You can see into people's pasts!" she replied excitedly, "That's amazing, Hope!"

"How did I do that?" I sit up with the help of the blonde vampire, rubbing my throbbing temples.

"I don't know but it's-it's amazing! I can't even do that. You've started drinking then?"

"What? No... I mean, Alucard made me drink a bit of his a few months ago but I haven't touched any since."

Seras just stared at me in bewilderment, "Bloody hell. Two months ago? You must be starving!"

"I'm fine, really..." I lied.

"You're not, love, but I understand that." She pulled me up from the floor and looked the clock on my wall, "I'd better get going. It was nice talking to you. Feel better soon!" She headed for the door but I stopped her.

"Wait," I said, "Thank you for this. I-I really needed to talk to someone."

I received a wide smile which warmed me, "Anytime!" and she left.

Seras made it seem like nothing was as bad as it seemed without devaluing my emotions. She made me feel _better._ Not many people in the world are as genuine as she was. I mean, she's obviously very damaged but she didn't let that get to her which is something I found myself admiring greatly. Even though I was still heavily shaken by my family's deaths, I was beginning to understand that there was nothing I could do but accept my situation and embrace it. I wasn't yet anywhere near ready to embrace it with open eyes, but I was open to starting to accept it. I wanted to feel better, and according to Seras, that was the only way. I decided to pick myself up.

I went and took a long shower, making sure to thoroughly wash all of the negativity I was holding onto away. Metaphorical and cheesy, I know, but it really helped. After getting changed into fresh underwear and pyjamas, I brushed my hair for the first time in days and dried it. I was still hurting inside, but at least I was clean and sort of comfortable. I knew that the next step from there was to improve my health, and doing that would involve drinking blood. I was in no way pleased with this, but if I was to get stronger and move on from my trauma I would have to. So with that, I decided to go and drink some blood.

* * *

 **Gene's point of view**

Sir Integra was asleep, as were the mercs, so I made myself some tea in the mansion's kitchen and enjoyed some time to myself with a newspaper. This was something I hadn't been able to do for a long while because it was rare that the atmosphere of the mansion was as peaceful as it was. The blue-toned moonlight shone through the enormous kitchen window, creating a state which was tranquil and calm. However, knowing that a certain young vampire was having an awful mental struggle put my mind at unease. My heart was with her and I simply felt awful for her. I couldn't imagine what she was feeling, only symapthise. This thought led me on to wonder how Alucard was going to deal with her. He was not an emotions person, to say the least, but with the recent discovery that he was related to her surely that made things different?

"It's a beautiful night." _Speak of the Devil..._

I peered up from my paper for a second, seeing that Alucard was in the dark area of the kitchen.

"Isn't it just?" I turn the page. I wanted to ask him about my thoughts however I didn't want to risk irritating him. I truly was eating at me yet I didn't want to be an inconvenience...but with Alucard being who he was, he sensed this, and with an annoyed tone asked:

"What is it?"

I sighed, placing down my cup.

"Tell me if I'm going over the boundaries with this question," I said, "But with werewolf bonds being different to vampire servitude I just have to ask. You know Hope isn't in the best place right now and if I'm correct Masters can feel what their fledglings are feeling, correct? Through blood link?"

"That is correct. Adolescences are... _emotional.._."

"I was curious as to what your next move regarding Hope is."

"Sir Integra will give me my orders." This wasn't the answer I was looking for, and I was aware that he was beating around the bush.

"I mean, what were you -"

"-You want to know how I plan to handle Hope knowing that she is my brother's child?" Alucard cut in. He was clearly irritated, "I think you _are_ overstepping your boundaries, butler."

"My apologies," I bowed my head in respect, "I meant not to offend you."

Alucard opened his mouth to speak but stopped when the sound of footsteps approached the doors to the kitchen. One of the doors open and a small figure in silk pajamas appears with wet hair and a blood transfusion bag that seemed to big for her hands. She spotted me with nervous brown eyes .

"Um... Gene?" It was evident she couldn't see Alucard.

"Good evening Miss Nightingale," I greet politely, "What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering- if it's not too much trouble at all- that you could get me a mug for this?" I was surprised of her request.

"A mug?" I ask and she nodded, "Well are you sure you don't want a bowl or a glass? I'm more than willing to fetch one of those for you if you'd like?"

"No thank you, a mug is fine. I-I think it would make it seem more normal, you know?"

"I understand. It might take me a while to find one so could you come over here and help me look in these cupboards down at the bottom?" I indicated for her to come to me. She started walking but became hesitant when she spotted Alucard, but resumed and started rifling through tuppaware and old crockery with me. Hellsing did not provide a home to many mugs. After a while of looking, I called off the search.

"I'm sorry, I must have thrown them out a while ago," I said, "How about a glass?"

"A glass is fine...yeah... thank you." She looked at the ground, obviously trying to ignore Alucard. I really did feel sorry for the girl. Alucard had told Integra and I that Hope had been terrified of him those few months ago, and Integra had instructed for him to not talk to her unless she approached him. Though, she sympathised with her. There was something about Hope that made Integra show her soft spot. Perhaps she saw herself in her...

Before I could hand Hope a glass Seras burst in, excited and pent up about something.

"Okay, so I was just talking to Hope and I was cheering her up and I -"

"-Seras-" Alucard tried to prompt her to be quiet but Seras continued.

"-And she has the ability to see past memories and it's so cool but I also told her that Darius was her dad and I almost told her that he was Master's brother-"

" _Seras Victoria."_ The sternness of Alucard's voice halted her and she finally noticed the teenage girl standing next to me in the shadows, pure confusion visible on the little one's face. She looked up at Alucard who stood still, frowning at his older fledgling. No one knew what to do or how to react and there was a painful awkwardness in the air.

"Here you go Hope," I said, breaking the silence. I gave her the glass.

"I don't understand..." she said slowly. She was still staring at Alucard as if she was assessing every detail of his face. She just stood there, waiting for him to say something.

"Leave us," Alucard instructed, not moving his eyes off Seras.

"Uh... yeah..." Hope quickly shuffled towards the kitchen doors but paused, "Thank you for the cup, Gene." She slid out. I let out a sigh and began cleaning up the tea set I'd been using, letting Master and Servant have their conversation.

"I'm so sorry Master, I really am," Seras urged, "I didn't see her."

"There was a reason she didn't know yet," Alucard said, "And what have I said before about thinking before you speak?"

"I know, I didn't think. I need to learn. I'm sorry. S-should I talk to her?"

"You've said enough."

Seras hung her head, clearly disappointed in herself, and left.

"I'll tell Sir Integra in the morning," I said to Alucard. He nodded at me and disappeared through the floor. Once again, it was just me alone in the kitchen but it would be a long time before I'd have my peace again.

* * *

 **A/N I'm abroad on holiday for three weeks so I won't be updating as frequently as before. I'm also starting to become demotivated with this story so it could be a while before the next chapter. I'm considering deleting it if I'm not feeling it fully but I haven't decided yet.**

 **I used to be excited to update this story and modify the chapters as my writing improved, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I'm sorry guys.**


	8. Chapter 8: Salem

**A/N remember, I'm constantly modifying and tweaking little details of this story so feel free to come back as many times as you'd like to try and spot the differences!**

 **Updated: 21/2/19**

* * *

 **Hope's point of view**

I scurried to the mansion's front steps and sat myself down. I poured my blood in my cup and stared into the dark abyss ahead of me, trying to process what I'd just heard. Among all the fuckery I had to deal with in this place, I had to learn that Alucard was Darius' brother? And why were people hiding things from me? Did Integra decide for that to happen?

I let out a long sigh, trying to get the tension out of my shoulders. I glanced at the contents of the cup and took a sip. It was very cold and for some reason I didn't like it as much as Alucard's hot blood, which I hated to admit. It was still relieving, however, and I found myself quickly chugging it down and instantaneously craving more.

After I finished, I decided I wanted to stay outside for a little longer. The night air agreed with me and comforted me, a breeze gently cooling me down from the hot interior of the mansion. The sky was a gradient dark blue and the moon was big and bright- the entire atmosphere was very soothing for my stressed self.

" _Meow._ "

I looked beside me and a large black cat was standing on the step, his tail up as if waiting for me to pet him.

"Oh, hello..." I rubbed his cheek and he started purring loudly which made me smile, "You're a sweetheart, aren't you?" He climbed onto my lap and sat there, clawing my legs as he made himself comfortable.

"Good morning, Hope." A voice I hadn't heard in a while came from the top of the steps. _Integra._ When I didn't reply, she came and sat next to me. She normally struck me as the type of person who had to show their dominance and leer over others yet here she was, sat at my level. She pushed her silver-blonde hair behind her shoulders and took a long look at me through her one eye. She was extremely beautiful with her ocean blue eye reflecting against the moonlight and it made me mad how someone so naturally ethereal could be so cold towards me in the past. I still held a grudge against her for that cruel test when I first got here that lead me to think I was going to die.

"You're right to be upset," she said, "People you barely know keeping large secrets from you, it must be so infuriating." _So now she wants to be nice to me? She's spent the past months avoiding my presence, letting me get hurt and now she's trying to 'relate' to me just because I knew the big secret everyone was hiding?_

"What would you know?" I had no control of what came out of my mouth and I didn't even regret it.

"I was 12 when I became the leader of this establishment," she replied, calmly, "And also when I found Alucard in the basement. My father hid all kinds of huge secrets from me which I had to discover as I got older. It was frustrating, yes, but it was all for the best in the end. You learn to accept what you find rather than get upset at the person who kept things from you because more often than not, it's out of their control. We all agreed you weren't in the correct mindset to handle that sort of information."

"...I suppose..." I said slowly.

"You are also my servant," she continued, "I'm not happy about the fact Alucard changed you at such a young age but he insists that he did the right thing so I trust that. He thinks that you have great potential and I believe him. You are here to protect me and these headquarters and I know you have the power to do that. I'm not saying you have to push your emotions aside; you've suffered great loss since you've been here and you need time to mourn. However, you also need to prepare yourself for the worst to come because I'm just a frail old woman." _Did she just make a joke?_

I didn't reply. I just petted the cat on my lap.

"You can keep him, if you like."

"Really?" I asked, "No one owns him already?"

"He moved himself in a few months ago and he's seems fond of you. If he puts you in a better mindset then by all means, you can keep him."

I was moved by this act of kindness, "Thank you, sir. I- I really appreciate that."

"It's almost morning so go and get some sleep. But first, escort me to my room."

"Uh- yeah, of course."

I put the cat over my shoulder where he continued to purr happily and helped Integra stand up. She took my free arm and we headed back inside the mansion. Gene opened to doors for us and greeted us with a polite 'good morning' and I smiled at him thankfully. He did a double take at the cat on my shoulders and let out a small chuckle under his breath.

"What's his name?" I asked Integra.

"Everyone calls him Salem."

"That's fitting."

I didn't know where Integra's bedroom was so she had to lead me to it. I didn't understand why she wanted me to escort her to her room but I guessed it had something to do with getting me used to servitude, which I didn't actually mind too much. Her bedroom matched her in every way- huge ceiling-sized windows, grey marble flooring, a bookcase that covered an entire wall. It was an amazing room and I was slightly envious of it.

Alucard was waiting for her by her desk. He seemed nearly surprised to see us together.

"Master, you wanted to see me?" he asked, bowing his head.

"You're wanted in Gibraltar," Integra said simply as I helped her sit on her bed, but she still held onto my arm. I stood there waiting for further instruction as the two discussed details of Alucard's mission. I knew I had to wait until Integra dismissed me, or at least that's what the others did. I noticed Salem getting progressively irritated at the sight of Alucard, and he started mewling angrily in my ear which turned into louder yowls.

"Be quiet," I murmured. My new pet jumped off my shoulders and stood in front of Alucard and began hissing at him. I giggled to myself and covered my mouth to muffle myself as Salem hissed and spat at him, his hair on end and his tiny teeth showing. Alucard looked back at me blankly as I laughed at the incident. Salem was about to attack him so I rushed over, "Salem, no..." and I swiped him up and he lashed out at Alucard's jacket, his claw getting stuck on a button. I sighed and attempted to unhook his claw as Alucard peered down at us, displeasure evident on his face. Integra found it also amusing but she covered it much better than I did. I managed to free Salem and I held him in my arms like a baby, cooing over him. He calmed down and began purring again when I tickled his chin. "Behave yourself, darling, or they won't let me keep you."

"You can go now, Hope," Integra said, a slither of a smile on her lips.

"Thank you, sir," I replied, "Sorry about Salem... I'll train him or something." As I turned to leave I heard Alucard and Integra continue their conversation, but it wasn't about the mission anymore. It was about me.

"She's starting to fit in," Integra said, "Which is good. All she needed was a source of comfort." There wasn't a reply for a while. "What is it Alucard? You're distracted."

"That's the first time I've heard her laugh or seen her smile."

I paused in my tracks for a minute, experiencing emotions which were somewhat of warm nature, before heading back to my room with a large cat that was falling asleep in my arms.

* * *

When I returned to my room, I placed Salem on my bed. He didn't walk around and sniff the place like a normal cat would which was really weird. Instead, he just sat there and stared at me with his big green eyes as if he wanted me to tell him something? I really don't know.

"You're weird," I told him. I switched on the TV and lay down on the bed, and Salem rested his head on my lap. He was very large for a cat; around the size of a Jack Russell dog, and he was heavy too. He dozed off and I could help but stare at him adoringly.

"Miss Nightingale!" My heart jumped in shock as a French voice shouted my name.

"Mr Bernadotte?" I called out, my eyes darting around my room but no one was there.

"Up here."

I looked up and Pip was hanging out of the ceiling, a red mist covering him. I frowned at him.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, annoyed that he interrupted my peace.

"There's an intruder and I sensed them in this room..." He spotted the cat next to me and he made a face.

"It's just Salem."

"Non, non..." he shook his head, "There's a dangerous force. I feel it. " He floated down from the ceiling and began looking around.

"You feel it?"

"My aura protects this mansion. It's mainly to stop the Vatican from attacking but-"

"-I'm sorry, the Vatican?" I raised a judging eyebrow.

"Someone will explain that to you later but mademoiselle, you're not alone." He searched under my bed and opened my unused coffin.

"I assure you," I said, "I think I'd know if someone was in here. It's just Salem and me."

Pip slowly stood up and he stared at Salem, his eyes narrowed, " _Un chat demon..."_

"You're talking out of your ass, Frenchman," I said, folding my arms and starting to get annoyed, "Do you mind leaving now, Pip?"

"He was hissing at Mr Alucard earlier, non?" he said.

"Yes..."

"My point." He walked over to the cat and stared at him beadily with his one eye. He was so set on the possibility that Salem was an evil demon and went quiet for a long time just looking at him. He conjured more red mist and allowed it to float around Salem, as if he was conducting an experiment of some sort.

"Leave him alone, will you?" I groaned.

"I'm telling you, Hope," he said, "Zis cat is bad news. Something is not right."

"Oh, go eat some snails."

He glared at me, "We don't all do that, you know." He took one last look at Salem before disappearing back into the ceiling.

What did concern me was how serious he was about the whole matter. Something truly bothered him and it made me think I had to be careful.

* * *

 **Around the same time, in a warehouse somewhere else**

"What's next, boss?" a short but muscled man asked. He was in his mid thirties but like all vampires was a lot older than that. He had brown greasy hair slicked back messily, arms covered in tattoos and wore expensive sportswear. One's first encounter would strike him as just another London thug but Hias was a lot smarter than that. He had a cult of about 30 well-trained vampire women who would die for him. No one would speak down to him. No one, except the man he looked up to.

"I have set eyes on Hope," the higher man answered slowly, his voice humming at the girl's name, "This will take time. She's only just began trusting her peers."

"And Alucard?"

"I'll deal with him when the time comes. He'll be a challenge, but at the moment he and Hope do not have a bond like I intend to build with her."

Hias smirked at the comment, dirtier thoughts filling his mind. His Master snapped at him as if he could hear them. " _Remember, Hias._ Do not let any more of your girls disobey their orders. We can't risk bringing Alucard into the scene to rescue the girl again."

"Is he really a threat, though?" Hias inquired, "From what we know so far, she's scared of him."

"My brother doesn't have any strong affections for anyone but his Master and that other Draculina. He's fond of the butler, but butler isn't a problem, he's nothing like the one they had before but ... actually..." he paused, deep in thought , "Hope is closest with the butler and if he's around to save her he will. Hm... I think we need to reconsider our plan..."

"No disrespect sir..." Hias said hesitantly as his boss went into deep thought, "But Alucard bonded with Seras when she decided to drink and unleash her familiar. Hope is doing everything she should be currently, and with that Alucard mig-"

"- _I won't allow it,_ " the Master snarled, "I plan to bond with her before he does and do whatever it takes to repel the girl from him. That's why I sent the cat." He read the doubt on his servants face and knew he had to give him some courage. He placed a supportive had on his shoulder, griping it, "Listen to me, Hias. With Hope on our side we can do so much. More than you could imagine. Have faith in me."

"I never lost faith, sir," Hias said, relaxing at the smoothness of his boss' voice.

"Good," he faked a smile, "I can always rely on you. You can leave now."

Hias saluted and then left. A overdue grimace plastered Darius' face. He was tired of being around people who were so stupid, _especially_ Hias. He made a mental note to dispose of him once he came into contact with Hope. For the time being, he knew he had to bide his time. He knew that Hellsing was about to be made vulnerable since the Vatican had been growing restless at the news of a new vampire in the organisation, and the rumours of her relations to Alucard did not make them any happier. Darius decided it would be best to see what Heinkel did before making his next move.

He summoned a green bubble in mid-air and looked into it like a crystal ball, seeing what Salem saw. He noticed that the pesky Frenchman had began suspecting the cat ploy but Hope waved him away. This was good.

"That's my girl," he snickered. Everything was going as it should.

* * *

 **A/N I have some amazing plans for this story and it even involves some of the OG Hellsing characters like Heinkel because let's face it, 30 years later and news that there's a new fledgling of course the Vatican are going to want to be peeping.**

 **So I've finally given Darius some dialogue! How do you all feel about his involvement? It's about time to be honest, I was tired of people just talking about him but here we are. Please leave a review, it only takes a few moments and it's what keeps me going (which is quite sad but validation is a good feeling).**


	9. Chapter 9: Vengeance

**A/N Long and exciting one for you, you guys deserve it.**

 **Updated: 21/2/2019**

* * *

"Miss Nightingale, you have training on the third floor, the room at the end of the hall- bring your weapon." Gene nudged me lightly to wake me up. He handed me a mug and I smiled gratefully at the gesture. "I purchased some mugs for you, since that's what you prefer."

"Thank you, Gene," I said, "That's so nice of you." He smiled at me and left. I checked the time on my phone and I groaned, realising that it was nearly midday. _U_ _gh, daylight._ Salem jumped off the bed and began eating the food Gene brought him and I remain sat in bed for a moment whilst I drank. I quickly got dressed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, not bothering to even put my hair up, and headed to where Gene had told me to go. I'd started to get familiar with the mansion so it didn't take me long to find it.

Sanders was waiting for me by the doors and inside were gym mats placed all over and wooden dummies for practice. By now, Sander's knee had healed and I greeted him with a guilty expression.

"Relax, kid" Sanders told me, "I'm fine, by the way."

I still felt really bad. I was starting to like him, and I'd heard he was out of action for a while because of his injury.

He indicated for me to follow him and he picked up a sword similar to my own. I spotted Integra already skillfully slicing one of the wooden dummies and I couldn't help but stare at her. She was so majestic and natural with her movements, yet she managed to do a great deal of damage at the same time. Her own trainer barely needed to do anything either, he just stood on the sidelines watching with a pleased expression and voicing compliments at every strike. She made it look so effortless and it made me insecure about my own skills, too.

Sanders clicked in my face to snap me out of my trance of admiration. "Scene queen, wake up."

"What are we doing?" I asked, ignoring the insult.

"Well, you have your weapon of choice," he replied, "It's time you learned how to use it so you don't make a fool of yourself out there. I'll be teaching you the basics and we'll see how we fare from there. Come. Vampire abilities can only get you so far." Over the next hour or so he taught me the simple stances and blocking poses and demonstrated their affect by lightly hitting his sword on mine. I grew tired of doing the same few strokes over and over and I complained:

"When are we going to spar properly?"

"When you have this down to a T, Princess, which you have not."

I glared at him, "Fine." I quickened my movements and took him off guard but he amazingly managed to keep up . My last blow was strong and the force made him shuffle back a few paces. He gave me an annoyed look and I just smirked at him smugly in triumph. I noticed Integra glancing over at us and a tiny smile showed on her aged face, and the approval felt nice.

"Point proven," Sanders said, "Ok, kid. Let's see what you can do." Without further warning, he brought his weapon crashing down and I blocked it, grunting as I pushed upwards. He parried by a side slash which I blocked again but he responded with a kick in my stomach. It hurt but barely as much as it should have.

"Alright then," I said, focusing myself. In my head I made Sanders' defeat the goal, and I would have to take him down to achieve it. I stepped forward with a jab to his stomach and he deflected, returning with a very quick upper strike again. Our fighting became progressively heated and it got to a point where the both of us just wanted to win the round already.

It took me a while to notice but we had gathered somewhat of an audience: suited men and other trainers watching off the mat in amazement. Alucard was one of those members but I made sure to ignore him. I couldn't let his intimidating presence distract me from being a winner in this situation. I locked eyes with the American soldier who was so set at beating me he pulled filthy moves like elbowing me in the collar and trying to trip me over. I retrieved a bloody nose from a sword handle being smashed into my face and this only made me more thirsty for a win. I felt the blood drip down my lips and I clicked the bones in my fingers to release tension, my body buzzing with determination,

"You shouldn't have done that," I growled.

 **Gene's point of view**

"Welcome back, Ms Wolfe," I greeted the German Christian the politest I could as not to provoke conflict. She grunted, not meeting my eye. _Typical._

I greeted her colleagues and asked if they wanted any refreshments, to which they didn't. Bluntness was to be expected from the likes of the Vatican, no matter how polite you are to them. I knew Integra would be in the training room so we walked there in bitter silence. I noticed Heinkel becoming agitated at the presence of Pip's aura which gave me some sort of satisfaction, at least. _They weren't going to try anything._

The doors were opened and inside was a crowd watching in awe as Hope and Sanders sparred. It was quite the amazing sight: the tiny black haired girl elegantly weaving in and out of the large man's attacks and responding with brutal force. It was clear that her powers supported her attack and it was good to see Hope so motivated. I heard a quiet gasp next to me and Heinkel watched with a clear expression of shock on her face.

" _Y-Yumie_?" she staggered quietly to herself. I quickly picked on to what was going on- Hope had long black hair and her weapon was a ninjaken, similar to Heinkel's former friend and partner Yumiko Takagi who perished at the feet of Walter Dornez all those years ago. I suppose there was a small likeliness, but Heinkel was obviously very shaken by the sight.

"Heinkel, are you alright?" one of her associates asked. She shook off whatever emotion she was feeling and her scarred face returned to its trademark scowl.

"Ja, _I'm fine,_ " she snapped. She turned to me, "Are we meeting with Integra or not, butler?"

"My apologies, but it's etiquette here to wait until a fight is over before any interaction. I'm sure you can understand." The response I received was a quiet hiss but nothing else was said.

"Gene, take a look at Hope!" Seras ecstatically bounced, joining us. She received a harsh glare from Heinkel which she returned with a smug smirk."Heinkel." The German nodded at her in acknowledgement.

Everyone just watched the two battle it out, progressively getting more and more violent but it was slowly coming to an end. Hope was summoning her aura. Whether she was aware of this or not it was hard to tell, but the most gorgeous vibrant green and black glow started forming around her person, seemingly fueling her attacks. It was a beautiful specimen to watch. With a grunt of effort, Hope managed to disarm Sanders and with a high downwards kick in the face he was knocked to the ground. She pointed her ninjaken at his throat, breathing heavily and blood streaking heavily down her face.

"Does that answer any questions?" she asked. She helped Sanders up and patted her on the shoulder appreciatively, giving her a tissue for her injuries. The people in the room applauded in awe (as started by Seras) at what they'd just witnessed. Even Integra was smiling while lighting her cigar, which was always a very good sign.

"So you're the new pet?" Heinkel asked, ruining the peace and charging up to Hope aggressively. Hope was considerably shorter and frail-looking compared to Heinkel, and the room was suddenly on edge. The other Catholics rushed to her side, clearly uneasy about her unpredictable behaviour.

"I'm s-sorry?" Hope asked, her anxiety evident in her light voice.

"So what's your deal? You can't be older than 16? What sort of indecencies are going on here?!"

"I-I don't know how to answer that," Hope replied, clearly uncomfortable with the confrontation.

"You don't, do you? You're the new pet, their new toy. So what's the catch here? They're turning children now?" She stepped closer to Hope, backing her into the nearest wall. Hope put her hands up trying to indicate peace but she was so obviously scared. Alucard and Seras swiftly stepped in front of Heinkel, blocking her from Hope. Seras reached behind her and held Hope's arm protectively and Alucard sneered down at Heinkel mockingly.

"It's been 30 years," Alucard said, smirking.

"Get out of my way!" hissed Heinkel, evidently not happy to see Alucard, "I vant to know who she is."

"She's one of us," replied Alucard, "is that not simple enough for you, Catholic? Anderson would understand."

"She is a child! If Hellsing is turning children into powerful vampires then that's something Iscariot needs to be aware of. I heard that your new fledgling vas different, I had no idea it was the age gap. What is the meaning of this? Explain yourselves immediately!"

There was a tense silence, the type of silence that would be present at a standoff between cowboys; the fundamental few seconds before they draw their guns from their holsters and shoot. The question here was: who would be the faster gunslinger?

Alucard would be. He startled and surprised everyone in the room by simply saying:

"She is my blood."

Integra cleverly tread in before anyone could say anything else.

"Heinkel," she acknowledged, "Shall we discuss this in my office?" She indicated for me to go with our guests, leaving the vampires.

 **Hope's point of view**

"Thank you," I said to Seras and Alucard, "She's...uh...intimidating." I shuddered. Her face was scarred as if something had once gone straight through her cheeks and she wore bandages as if to keep her jaw together. She had the angriest eyes I had ever seen on a person and the fact she was so set on interrogating me frightened me to say the least.

"She has a lot of issues, don't take it personally," Seras said, watching Heinkel and the others disappear down the hall, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little shaken." I wiped my bloodied nose again, taking a few deep breaths.

Alucard let out a 'hmph' sound and I frowned at him. "You're going to have to grow a stronger backbone, Nightingale, if she's what scares you," he said. I sighed.

"Yeah..." I answered, "You're right. I'm sorry, I'll do better next time." Another 'hmph' and Alucard was gone. "So who are they? And who is she?"

"That's Iscariot," Seras replied,"You could say they're Hellsing's frenamies. You know, Protestant vs Catholic? Anyway, she's the Pope's right hand servant, like Master is to Sir Integra. It used to be a man called Alexander Anderson but well... I'm sure a Google search could tell you all you need to know about that." _Why did I completely forget that Google existed? Stupid Hope..._

"They're human though? Why are they any match for us?"

"They're trained specifically to get rid of beings like us. Their bullets, weapons, training make them pretty much supernatural. Anderson was especially talented. Alucard struggled to kill him."

"Whoa." Seras saw my anxieties and hugged my shoulders.

"It's okay," she assured, "We have a truce right now. Ever since that incident in London 30 years ago."

"Wasn't that when the new-founded Nazis-" I paused, "Google search?"

"Google search. I must warn you though... it's quite hard to take in."

"I'll hold you on that."

She was right. She was completely right. On one side, Nazis attacked from a blimp, slaughtering thousands of innocent men, women and children. On the other side, Iscariot formed an army to pick off the ones the Nazis did't kill. In the middle was Alucard, Integra and Seras. The old reports didn't mention Alucard and Seras specifically, they just noted 'Integra and others', but I found videos and holy fuck, were they unreal. Alucard did things which were... devastating and difficult to process. In every video of him he seemed to take a different form, even at one point he took the form of a young girl who looked freakishly similar to me and it sent a chill down my spine. _Why did he transform into a girl?_ I watched the screen in both horror and awe as he released what I could only describe as an army of blood and corpses. And Seras' arm wasn't an arm at all, it was a floating dangerous mist and she was completely covered in blood. Integra was a lot younger and had both her eyes. Her fierceness could be sensed through the low quality video and she beamed with confidence.

The whole event was what I could only describe as 'Hell'.

I moved on from the incident in London and searched Alexander Anderson and the footage I found of him was just as crazy. Then, a suggested video popped up called 'Scottish Catholic heart ripped out and killer cries" and what I saw really threw me off guard. Anderson was covered in moving vines and leaves, weaving and lengthening to try and impale Alucard. The attempt on my Master's life failed as Alucard ripped the Scot's heart out and crushed it with his hand. Then he confronts the cut in half dying priest and he begins... _crying?_ I did a double take at the shaky video taken from a nearby building, but it definitely was Alucard in a broken straight jacket standing there crying for the man he'd just killed. It actually made me a little uncomfortable to see Alucard that way. It was the first time I'd seen him vulnerable.

I pushed myself under my bedcovers and laid down, attempting to sleep but my mind was racing so many questions about so many different things: _could I ever amount to what Seras and Alucard were able to do? Would I be able to fight someone like Anderson or Heinkel? Were my own abilities that powerful?_

 _"Yes."_ Alucard was by my bed. He wasn't wearing his big red jacket, his glasses or his hat and he looked vastly different that way. _He looked more like a person._ Salem woke up and began hissing but I hushed him and rubbed his ears to quiet him down.

"How...? " I asked, sitting up and brushing the hair out of my face.

"You have so much potential, Hope," he said. Unusually, he sat down on my bed and was looking at me with the most sincere expression. His voice was at a quieter volume, almost soothing in some ways. This new side of his character was strange and a tad uncomfortable to me, but it was still better than him being terrifying. "You need to let that potential happen. For the good of yourself, this organisation and... for me."

"For you?" I raised an eyebrow at that last part.

"If it is true my brother is trying to contact you it cannot possibly be for good intentions. He is extremely powerful and I'm not as strong as I was 30 years ago. Back then I could have killed him easily, but my abilities have since become... limited." He scowled momentarily at these words."Something incredibly foul could happen if he has the chance to face you. We cannot let him do that but you have to know how to protect yourself. It's for your own good."

"I- I know that... but what does he want with me?"

"I cannot imagine, there are many reasons but we can't know for sure until the time comes. So we wait. And you discover your abilities."

"What if...and forgive me if I sound dumb, but what if his intentions aren't malicious?"

"If they weren't, would he have sent those women to kill your family? If that were an accident, would he be so careless? He is manipulative and would want you to feel that way."

 _My family._ The verbal reminder cut into my heart again even though it had only started healing. My eyes welled up but I fought back tears with all my might.

"Tell me something," I said, my voice cracking slightly,"Do you ever really get over loss? Does it ever stop... you know... hurting?"

"No."

"Oh..." _Why was Alucard being nice to me all of a sudden? Was it a form of manipulation to get me to act more like a vampire? Or was he actually concerned for me?_

"You use pain to make you _stronger_." He put a lot of emphasis on that last word.

"I don't think I'm quite there yet."

"You will be , little bird. Eventually, you will be." His gloved hand briefly made contact with my leg and he gave me a reassuring glance before he disappeared. I didn't know what to think of him anymore. After seeing how he slaughtered masses of people on video; grinning and laughing whilst doing so, messily licking the blood that splashed on him like water... it was so weird to see him acting so nice and calm. It felt good to be finally validated by him, I won't lie about that.

 **Back at that warehouse**

Darius let out a mighty growl and punched the nearest metal pillar that was in sight. The entire thing snapped like a twig and the structure shook at the force. He was not at all happy with what he had just seen through the cat. Alucard was onto him. He knew that he'd sent Salem to Hellsing to spy on Hope's every move and it was clear to him that he was trying to stay ahead of his brother.

"You may have the upper hand, _brother_ ," Darius murmured to himself, "But will you be prepared for what I have in mind?" He snapped his fingers and immediately Hias was by his side.

"Boss?"

"Send Rachel to Hellsing HQ," he said, "I don't expect her to return but I want to test something."

"Rachel? Really? No disrespect but she's one of my strongest-"

"-Did I say I cared? Have her go out and feed and prepare herself. I want to test something." Hias didn't respond. He was hesitant. Out of all his pawns, Rachel was a rook. "Did you hear me, Hias?"

"Uh, y-yes sir. But what will I tell Rachel?"

"I don't know, make something up. Just make sure it's done and send her out tonight. Tell her to kill Hope."

"What if, on the off chance, she does?"

"I won't allow it and I doubt my brother would either..."

* * *

 **Hope's point of view**

I had my first dream for a while. Or rather, it was a nightmare. It was almost like sleep paralysis- I couldn't move and I felt a looming force over my bed. The fact I was so powerless sent me into a state of panic and I couldn't do anything about it. I could almost feel the breath of whoever was watching me...

I woke up with a start, sweating and panting. I wiped my forehead and tried to calm myself. I switched on my bedside lamp to try and make myself feel better but it made my nightmare into a reality.

"Hello Hope." Rachel was standing near my bed, an over-sized switchblade in her hand. She wiped but I only just managed to get out of the way. She was quick though and went in for another jab which caught my cheek, creating a deep cut. It stung horribly and the blood actually started sizzling on my face. I yelled out, tears forming for the pain.

"See," she said, licking my blood off her blade, "This is blessed silver. Hurts, doesn't it?"

"What do you want from me?" I cried, watching her movements.

"Me? I was sent here to kill you." _That made no sense, I thought Darius wanted me alive?_

I jumped over my bed as she attacked me again and got into a rhythm of charges. I was clumsy and got sliced a few time and it burned badly. I yelped as my arm was stabbed deeply and this seemed to send Rachel into a frenzy.

"I got into a lot of trouble not taking you with me," she hissed, "But now your Masters are away on business they're not here to save you." She'd cornered me and was about to deliver the final blow. I spotted my ninjaken leaning against the nearby bedside table and I took the chance to grab it. I unsheathed it and pushed her out of the way, holding my weapon up in a defensive stance. She laughed at me.

"Do you know how to use that, little girl? Did the human soldiers give you a few lessons? Aw."

I shrugged and waited for her next move. She narrowed her eyes at me and circled me for a while before going for my throat. I deflected her blow, hitting her in the face with the handle of my sword. Her lip burst, blood dripping down her lip. She chuckled through her bared teeth and lunged at me. We parried for what seemed like ages before she did the same trick Sanders pulled- kicking me in the gut. This hurt a lot more than a human doing this and I heard the crack of a few ribs. I grunted loudly and she seemed to ravel in my pain, moving unbelievably fast to try and get me down. I focused on her fighting pattern as I repeatedly blocked her, trying to figure out a weakness. She always left her sides unprotected but made it so I never had the chance to hit her there.

Time passes and I'd managed to inflict a few wounds. Her face was bloodied and her clothes were quite slashed. It got to the point where I wasn't growing tired but I was angry. This bitch was so motivated on killing me, and it seemed she was trying to wear me out until I surrendered but I wasn't going to let that happened.

I got distracted by my thoughts for a brief second and she drove her knife deep into my arm. I screamed as she got closer to my person, pushing it until it went past bone and emerged the other side of my arm. She let go and shoved me hard enough for me to fall over. I stared at my arm in horror, red liquid flowing out of my arm like a stream. I couldn't believe it; it was so surreal to me. It felt like boiling acid was scorching my flesh and viens, causing unimaginable pain and I didn't know what to do with myself. Rachel tutted at me, her cockiness returning. She took my sword off me and tossed it aside, kneeling down in front of me.

"And I was beginning to think you'd actually grown a spine," she said mockingly. She pushed the blade lightly with one finger causing me to cry out again, "Oh, it stings?". I grew weaker , losing more and more blood whilst the blessed metal dulled my senses. Then Rachel yanked it out, which was so much worse. _So much worse._ I whimpered as she wiped the blade on her trousers and put it in her pocket, deciding a new way to kill me.

"No... it's too easy." She grabbed me by the hair and pulled, exposing my neck and latched on with her teeth. I wanted to scream but no noise came out. I tried hitting her away but with no prevail, it only made her bite down harder. My adrenaline began rushing as my mind started racing for a solution. Without thinking properly I kicked her with as much might as I could pack. She was flown away from me and hit the opposite wall with a loud thud. She screeched angrily and ran to me, her aura covering her and pointing towards me like knives. She grabbed me by the throat, pushing me up the wall and holding me there. What she didn't know is that I had my sword in my hand and I reached around and stabbed her in the lower back, forcing her to drop me. I held the handle tight and yanked it out of her back and forced it into her spine.

"Who needs to grow a spine now?" I hissed. I booted her in the nose whilst she was down and straddled her. At that moment I felt uncontrollable rage. _Here was the woman who had murdered my grandparents just because she could. She needed to pay for what she did in the most painful way possible. She WAS going to pay!_

Rachel tried to push me off her but I was solid and I stared her down, letting her know that she was going to die. Without touching her, I made sure she was pinned to the floor and unable to move. Fear was evident in her eyes and her chest was heaving.

" _Draculina...!_ " she gasped,"Your aura, it's just like _his._ I'm sorry! I-I didn't know! I didn't know you were his daughter!"

"Bet you wished you knew that now." I pressed my hand on her head and looked inside. _It was somewhere dark and lowly-lit. There was a buff but greasy looking man in a Northface tracksuit who was talking to Rachel in hushed tones, as if he didn't want a certain someone to hear._

 _"You need to kill Hope," he uttered._

 _"What? The big guy doesn't want her anymore?" Rachel folded her arms._

 _"She's become a problem and I can't deal with Darius' orders anymore. Get rid of the girl and we get rid of our problem. Can you do that?"_

 _"Please, the girl is weaker than a dried piece of spaghetti. I can kill her in a second." She spoke confidently but the premise of betraying Darius terrified her to her core. If he found out that she was the one who killed her, she would be next and death scared her. It was the reason she became a vampire in the first place- she was dying 50 years ago after a mugging gone wrong and Hias had turned her. For that reason she was loyal to Hias but she knew that Darius was considerably more capable with his abilities than any of Hias' girls put together._

 _Hias put his hand on Rachel's face but it wasn't out of endearment._

 _"Don't let me down, Rachel," he warned. The two tensed when a tall figure walked towards them. I couldn't see his face, only his eyes. He scanned the two momentarily as if he was reading their every thought._

 _"Everything alright Hias?" he said slowly, looking Rachel up and down. His voice was deep and for a second I mistook it for Alucard's. Rachel shifted, uncomfortable._

 _"Everything is good, boss," answered the man I presumed to be Hias._

 _That wasn't what I was looking for so I dug deeper. Rachel was now face to face with the dark figure. I still couldn't work out any of his details because he was in the shadows._

 _"Retrieve Hope," Darius said, "I trust you to make it as clean as possible with no messy murders. Just in and out. Am I clear, Rachel?"_

 _"Of course, sir." Rachel nodded. She was incredibly nervous in this other vampire's presence because she could feel the power he possessed. She knew if anything annoyed him he could take her life without a second thought or any remorse, but she tried to cover her nerves by standing tall._

"You didn't have to kill them," I growled at her, "You didn't have to kill my grandparents."

"I-I know, I'm so sorry! You have to understand that where I'm from power is everything and anything else is weakness...I- I just wanted to feel more powerful!"

"Look where that got you, bitch." I leaned down and bit into her throat. She let out an ear piercing scream as I drank from her, feeling the life slowly leave her body. It was a weird experience but it felt so normal to me at the same time. Her blood was hot and tasted sour but it felt good drinking it; it made me feel powerful drinking it and the entire ordeal was almost euphoric. It felt good to hear her gurgle and cry out for mercy. It was a thrill unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

"Miss Nightingale, she's finished!" Someone touched me, alarming me. I turned around teeth showing but it was only Gene. My anger calmed itself quickly and I took a second to come to. The woman beneath me was pure white, completely drained of blood and there was a black and green manifestation that covered us. That quickly disappeared and revealed the state of the room- it was a complete and utter bloodbath. Blood stained the bed and the walls and I looked down at my clothing which was entirely drenched with the stuff. My eyes moved to the doorway where Alucard was and he was smiling directly at me. His glasses were tucked into his pocket and his eyes were warm with... pride maybe? Joy? _No, that's not right..._

I climbed off the dead woman and glared down at her, wiping my hands on my ruined clothes. One last spat of anger overwhelmed me and I fulfilled my desire to stomp her head in. There was a satisfying squelch as her skull caved and my bare foot squashed her brains.

"She deserved all of it," I said, not looking up from the mess I created. I wished I could bring her back to life just to kill her all over again.

"What happened?" Gene asked softly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"She said she was sent here to kill me."

"It's a bluff," Alucard said, "To throw us off guard and to see what you can really do. They sent someone disposable."

"Would they sacrifice someone like Rachel Holden, though?" Gene pondered, "She was one of Hias' main players. Then again, it's not Hias who is calling the shots..."

"Hope!" Everyone's attention went to Seras who came rushing into the room and hugged me tightly, fussing over me. The wind was knocked out of me and my face was squashed in her large bosom.

"S-Seras, you're suffocating me..." I gaped. She let go and looked me up and over, brushing the hair out of my face like a concerned mother.

"You're really badly hurt!" she exclaimed.

"What, no I'm-" I looked down on my self. There were several stab wounds in my stomach and chest and as I realised the extent to my injuries the previous burning feeling of Rachel's blade returned, "Oh fuck, this hurts." I held my stomach tightly and tried not to show any weakness but fuck, that shit hurt. I collapsed but Seras caught me, holding me up. I couldn't help but cry at the pain of my injuries, and I just let it out in front of the others without caring.

Gene spotted Rachel's blade on the floor and picked it up. He made a face of disgust,

"It's blessed silver," he grimaced, wrapping the blade in cloth and putting it in his pocket, "Hope, come with me please. I'll help you with your wounds. You need special treatment for injuries like those." He and Seras put one of my arms each over their shoulders and led me slowly out of the room. Alucard remained still, taking in the sight of the war-zone of a room, as if analysing it. This entire time Salem had been asleep on the warm bathroom floor but now had trotted out and jumped onto the bed. Alucard stared him down but kept his smiling which apparently agitated the thing. I could have sworn he spoke to Salem, saying something on the lines of "Nice try", but I could have just been hearing wrong.

Once Gene had patched me up and put a special ointment on my wounds, I had to explain everything I knew from Rachel to Integra: that this Hias man was definitely working with my father; that Darius was feared even by the people he worked for; that he lies to them to get his way. I didn't consider it to be valuable information but Integra treated it as such. She thanked me, told me to take care of myself and dismissed me.

 **Alucard's point of view**

I was impressed by this new side of Hope. She was angry and confident and I had felt her power surging through the entire floor of the mansion. This was the potential I'd wanted to see and I was pleased that she was finally starting to step up. I was almost proud, but not quite yet. There was still a lot that Hope needed to unlock and work on, but I was certain she'd soon unleash the full extent of her powers. There was a storm coming from afar, and Hope would be the lightening.

* * *

 **A/N remember to drop a review and a favourite to get updated!**


	10. Chapter 10: Darius

**A/N trigger warning- mentions of rape and abuse.**

* * *

 **Hope's point of view**

The next few weeks were quiet. I wouldn't say that it was peaceful, it was more like that saying "the calm before the storm". The others were preparing for something and it was clear by the way they were acting. Alucard was sleeping for days on end which is apparently what he does before a confrontation, Seras wasn't as chirpy and the mercs were serious instead of joking around. My wounds had healed at an extraordinary rate and Gene had managed to clean up the mess of my room very quickly which was impressive.

I really was starting to fit in. I'd accepted that Hellsing was my home and I was okay with that. I was still hurting inside missing my family and because of this I wish I made Rachel suffer more. Alucard was right about one thing though: loss did make you stronger. The sheer power I'd felt that day... it was amazing. I hated to admit it but it made me want to do it all again just to summon my shadow.

" _Meow."_ Salem apparently felt it too. He was restless, jumping at every little thing and wanting attention more frequently. It was annoying when I was trying to focus on telekinesis but that's just what cats do- bother you when you're busy.

Not having anything to do, I went on my phone and looked through people's stories and new uploads. I still wasn't allowed to message anyone. Chrissy's story came up and I couldn't help but lurk. Her puppy was so much bigger than the last time I saw her and it brought back memories which made me happy. I missed her but I couldn't risk contacting her just in case she was targeted. I knew she was mad at me for being online but never replying because of the indirects she'd occasionally post about me, but her being safe and angry was better than her being in danger.

I noticed green was seeping out of my arm and I sighed. Since drinking from Rachel my aura had been nearly uncontrollable. If I let my guard down it'd show and even though it didn't cause discomfort or anything, it was just annoying. I actually had a lot of questions about how to actually keep my powers in control since I'd tried everything to keep them at bay when I didn't want to use them. I contemplated finding Alucard and asking him but if he was sleeping chances were he wouldn't be in a good mood if I woke him. I went back and forth about my decision until finally I plucked up the courage to ask. I knew where his "room" was, it was only a floor down and had a bad vibe radiating from it consistently so I'd previously tried to avoid it.

I found the stairs which would lead me to a door which was old and rotting. _Fitting._ I opened it and there was another set of stone steps. The air was kind of damp and very cold, causing my hair to stand on end. I ventured down them slowly, trying to make my steps quiet, but I was sure Alucard would sense me anyway.

There was an ornate throne-like chair in the middle of the room with a small round side table next to it. On the table was a bottle of what looked like wine and sat in the chair was Alucard. His jacket was draped over the back of his chair and his elbow was propped up on one of the arms, with his hand resting his face and his eyes closed. I watched him for a minute whilst he breathed quietly.

"Um, Alucard?" I said. I was anxious so my voice wasn't very loud, but this didn't wake him. I didn't want to resort to touching him just in case muscle memory kicked in and he killed me or something so I repeated myself a little louder:"Alucard?"

He grunted, not opening his eyes. "What is it, Nightingale?" he asked, his gravelly voice having tones of irritation.

"I-I wanted to ask you something."

"Out with it, then. Your fluttering heart is bothering me."

I swallowed. "I'm exploring my abilities but I can't seem to keep them at bay."

"And? Get to the point."

"I want to keep them at bay."

"Intent."

"I-intent?"

"Make it your sole purpose that they keep quiet. It's not difficult, Nightingale."

"Ok but-"

"- unless this is actually important I would prefer to be left alone," he said firmly, raising his voice and opening his eyes. I sighed in disappointment m. _So much for trying._ He flinched as I thought this and I knew for a fact he heard it. " _Wait._ "

"No, it's alright..." I said anxiously, edging away, "You want to be left alone, so..."

" _Nightingale._ " The way he said this made me turn back around. He was now sat up and appeared truly exhausted, the lines under his eyes more prominent than usual. He glared and moved a gloved beckoning finger, indicating for me to go towards him. I obeyed, holding my hands in front of me.

"I can honestly come back at a better time if-" His glare cut me off and I looked down at my feet.

"You drank another vampires blood," he continued, "You've absorbed her soul and her powers. Newer vampires don't do this as often so it's normal that she's fighting back." My stomach turned.

"S-she's fighting back?"

"Yes. You need to let her know you own her and you alone." He cracked the bones in his fingers and his neck,"Or you could consume her soul entirely."

"How do I do that?"

"Channel your third eye, you will see her in there and then you'll know what to do." He said all of this so simply, as if I could easy do these things. I really didn't understand what he meant at all and he, of course, sensed this. He was quite clearly annoyed at me for waking up and now he was annoyed at me for not knowing how to use these complicated vampire abilities. "Is there anything else?"

"Um."

"You're testing my patience."

"I don't know how to do that..." I breathed, "I-I'm sorry, I really don't."

Alucard sighed, thinking for a moment. "Come closer, I'll show you." I nervously stepped towards him and he reached out for my hand and took it. I noticed a pentagram emblem on the back of his glove which started glowing red, but I knew better than to stare or ask questions. Alucard exhaled and suddenly I was someplace pitch black. I walked around for a while, trying to find a source of light and eventually I found an area that was lit by a few candles. I picked one up and tried to make out where I was- it was like a dungeon with stone walls and stone floors, but no visible exit.

"E-excuse me, fraulein?" The German accent got my attention The voice made me turn around and I was shocked by what I saw: a boy a few years younger than me, with shaggy blonde hair wearing what looked to be a Hitler's Youth uniform was chained tightly to the nearest wall. What was weird about him was the fact he had two grey cat ears on the sides of his head. He also looked incredibly malnourished and sick, and I saw that he was shivering in his bounds. "Can you help me?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Schrodinger..." _Huh. Schrodinger's Cat. "Bitte_ , you have to let me out."

"Where are we?"

"Inside _Him_..."

" _I mistakenly drank his blood, among with over three million other souls,"_ Alucard's voice echoed, " _I could kill all but one of them."_

"He's just a boy. "

" _He was the trump card of the Nazi group Millenium. I'm sure you know about them already, so you can guess how dangerous their associates were. Especially him._ "

I did say anything. I just stared at the boy who was staring back desperately at me, struggling against his bounds to reach for me. It filled me with emotions for some reason- to think that Schrodinger was trapped inside Alucard for what might be eternity. I'm sure he had been evil, but at this point he just looked so incredibly desperate and pathetic.

Something suddenly began to change and I experienced that feeling I had when I accidentally saw into Seras's head. Our powers must have clashed and mine overcame his, giving me access to all of his darkest secrets. I was deeper inside his mind than before, viewing all his memories.

I saw a young boy with bright blue eyes and an older boy with brown eyes. Both had dark hair and were playing with wooden toys and laughing happily. They were speaking a language I didn't understand; probably Romanian or Transylvanian. Suddenly, armed soldiers burst in. They were speaking Turkish, and the one with the most regal armor pointed at the younger boy and his men grabbed him and dragged him away whilst he cried 'Mama! Darius! ". I didn't realise straight away but a blonde woman stood by these soldiers and just watched whilst they took her son away. It even looked like she was the one who'd led them there... The entire scene was heartbreaking and then it came to me- that boy was Alucard. The scene changed and I was horrified. He was being raped by an old man of some sort of royal figure. I couldn't watch and I tried closing my eyes but the scene still played out in my mind. In the next few seconds I saw Alucard's most vulnerable moments- him being defeated by the Turks, by Van Hellsing, by Millenium; past loved ones being tortured and killed in front of his eyes including Seras getting brutally mutilated by a masculine woman with a scythe, helpless and weak and practically dead. I saw things I knew he didn't want me to see but I couldn't help it, I had no control over what I was looking at. I learned of the awful things he's done to other people purely for sadistic fun, and I've seen him suffer at the hands of others who've done the same thing back to him. I felt minuscule amounts of what he felt per scene and it hurt my heart.

" _Enough_."

I was back in reality and Alucard had yanked his hand away. The expression on his face had a mix of emotions: horror, disgust, anger... I didn't know what to say to him. I just stare at him, my eyes wide and full of tears.

"What did you see?" he demanded, anger starting to dominate his other emotions.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"- _What did you see?"_ He was shouting now and I froze in fear, my mouth hanging open as I failed to find something to say. I quickly regained myself, trying to think of a response which wouldn't anger him further.

"Nothing, Master," I say quietly, avoiding eye contact. His furious face relaxed into puzzlement, as if he wasn't expecting this answer. "I didn't see anything. I'm going to go now. Thank you for your help. " I started to climb the steep stairs out of the room. I knew calling him 'master' would calm him down to some extent, but I'd just seen some of his most hidden secrets. I could only imagine how vulnerable revisiting his past would make him feel...

When I reached the door, I heard him call out:

"Don't do anything stupid."

* * *

I sought comfort in Salem when I got back to my room. I picked him up and cuddled whilst he rubbed his cheeks on my face.

"The shit I've seen..." I sighed, releasing the tension in my gut. Salem mewed in complaint and then jumped out of my arms. He looked back at me and mewed again, as if he wanted me to go to him. I rolled my eyes and went to him. I tried to pick him up but he hissed at me to back off. "The fuck's the matter with you?" He walked a little further and meowed loudly at me. "Do you want me near you or not?"

To add to the series of weird of events, Salem began glowing green. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't just seeing stuff but nope, still glowing. He then opened his mouth and the green spread into a floating bubble . "What the fuck?"

I slowly approached it and when I put my hand towards it Salem meowed excitedly, as if urging me to touch it. I gave in, touching it, and I felt like I was falling off a cliff until I stopped. I was in another dark place and Salem was nowhere to be seen. It was daylight, shards of light shooting through broken windows which made it so it wasn't completely pitch black. I couldn't see anyone or anything around and I didn't understand fully how I got there either.

"H-hello?" I called out, but received no response. I tried to peer outside to see where I was, but it just looked like the countryside with fields that hadn't been tended to for months. I searched my person to check if I had my phone on me to call Gene or someone but I didn't. The longer I was there, the more I started panicking. I sat on the cold floor and just broke down, feeling so lost and alone. I knew I should've started walking through the fields to find a road with a pay phone or something but I needed to let out my feelings first. It was also daytime so the sun would irritate my skin if I went out now.

"Why do you cry?" an unfamiliar voice asked me. My instincts forced me to look up to see who was talking. There was a tall figure but he was in the shadows so I couldn't see his face. He had very broad shoulders from what I could tell, and his voice... it was so similar to Alucard's I thought it was. "There's nothing here that's going to hurt you, darling."

"Why are you in the dark?" I was in defense mode, "Come out!"

"So strongly willed... that's my girl." The man stepped into the light and my heart stopped beating. He had black hair slicked back neatly, a squared jaw like his brother, but had his facial hair neatly fashioned into a balbo style. His attire was different too- he wore a black suit with a green shirt and a black tie with gold embroidery on it. He stared at me straight in the eye, too. He started walking towards me and I instantly started crawling away, not wanting to be anywhere near this man if he was who I thought he was. He chuckled at my actions, "I'm not here to hurt you."

"Then what are you here for?"

"I just want a connection with my daughter, is that so bad?" His smirk turned into a kinder smile but I didn't trust it yet.

"They've warned me about you, you send out a woman to kill my mum, you sent out Rachel and she killed my grandparents... all you've done is brought me loss." I braced myself to attack and he puts out a peaceful hand.

"No, no... I didn't do any of that. Donna forebode me seeing you at all because of what I am and that was all I wanted- to see you. My man Hias was the one who couldn't control his girls and trust me."

There was silence. I wondered if he was actually the good guy in this situation. I'd seen what Alucard had done but I'd heard nothing of what Darius had done, which is maybe because he hadn't done anything horrible. Alucard was a monster and generally not a nice person to be around , and Darius... he seemed kind. His intentions seemed pure and his soft expression alone told me that everything was going to be okay.

"So you're my ...dad?" I asked eventually. The word 'dad' made my stomach feel strange and my tongue almost refused to form it. Darius had gotten closer and was crouching down to my level.

"Of course, dear." With him closer to me, I could see which parts of him I had inherited- such as my face structure, my smile and my strangely pointed ears. It was somewhat... fulfilling to see the other half of where you come from but then I remembered everything I'd been warned about and I'd instantly become weary again. "What's wrong?"

"This is... weird for me," I said, "Especially since the people at Hellsing told me that your intentions were bad..."

"That's ridiculous! I just want to know my daughter." He held out his hand and I hesitated before taking it. He helps pull me up and smiles kindly. It comforted me, as much as I hated to admit it. He gazed at me with loving eyes and I hadn't seen a look like that since I was at my grandparents. "I never intended for you to be turned into a vampire this young. I simply wanted a life with you in it."

I cleared my throat, "What happens now?" I asked.

"I was thinking about taking you back to where I live and focus on your powers. You recently drank from another vampire, am I correct? You want to shut her up?"

"Yes, Rachel... she worked for you..." I scowled, remembering the pain that woman put me through.

"She worked for my colleague," Darius explained, "I told them no collateral damages but Hias never listens. Believe me when I say I had firm... _words_ with him. " I believed him. He seemed genuinely angry at the fact his colleague had gone behind his back like that.

Time passes and we get talking. I start warming up to him and become more comfortable with him than anyone at Hellsing. He understood my emotions and he answered things that they would never answer me over there. It was probably unwise to trust him so quickly, but I couldn't help it. It was something to do with the way he spoke to me, as if whatever I had to say was actually important.

After a while, Darius leads me to a fancy black car with a chauffeur and we drive to a large cottage about 20 minutes away. It's still in the middle of the countryside but it's incredibly nice, and had ivory plants covering the front of it. Even though it was a cottage, it had a lot of charm to it. In fact, it was the type of house I'd always wanted to live in as a child instead of a small overpriced modern plasterboard house.

"Alucard is more... withheld, isn't he?" I'd said, as he helped me out of the car. "More private, not many visible emotions?"

"Ever since he took to servitude to that family who defeated him he was never the same. I do not fully understand how it works myself, and I'm sure it has something to do with the torture he received from Van Hellsing himself, but still.. if he wanted to he could still just leave. Everyone there could. So could that Seras girl."

"O-Oh..."

"Don't get me wrong, dear daughter. I'm sure they like it there for a reason. I just cannot imagine submitting to a stubborn old woman." He takes my arm and leads me to the house. The doorway alone was amazing- oak engraved with leaves, and it had round gold knockers with gargoyle heads. There was a train of different coloured roses bordering the stone above the door and I couldn't help but stare. Darius unlocks the door and opens it, revealing a just as amazing interior. There was a wood and stone colour scheme, and everything matched. It was aesthetically pleasing to look at and I found myself lost in wonder again.

"Do you like it?" Darius asked, noticing me marveling at the interior.

"It's beautiful," I said,"It really is."

"I'm glad you think so."

He allowed me to look around quickly and the design was consistent throughout the entire downstairs; modern but with vintage accents.

"Your bedroom is the first on the right upstairs," Darius said, "I had someone bring some of your things from your house so don't worry about that. Also-" He reached into his pocket and retrieved a brand new IPhone and handed it to me. "I heard you weren't allowed to contact your friends. You're free to do whatever you want on there whilst you're with me."

"Y-you didn't have to," I said, holding the phone carefully, "I already have a phone."

"It's at Hellsing, no? I doubt they'd let you leave again if you went there to get it."

I sighed and smiled at him, "Thank you. I really appreciate it. " I paused, "Wait, what do I call you? I've just met you so it would seem weird to call you dad right away."

"I do not mind," he assured, "Whatever you're comfortable with. Now go explore. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

* * *

 **Gene's point of view**

"What do you mean, the cat disabled your powers?" Integra asked Pip "And why wasn't this brought to my attention sooner?!"

"I didn't know, alright? I'm monitoring your safety most of ze time. I knew something was funny about zat cat." He mumbled some swearwords in French and Seras put a comforting arm around him before he disappeared.

"So Hope's gone?" Seras asked, "She's nowhere to be found?"

"Her phone was left on her bed," I said, "so there's no way of tracking her."

"You can go, Seras. Get Alucard," Integra instructed. Seras let out a small obeying 'hm' and left.

Integra let out a long exhale, taking a cigar out of her top drawer. Those were the ones stronger in nicotine so I could instantly tell the matter stressed her out. Automatically, I began fixing up some chamomile tea to help calm her and handed it to her. She took a sip without waiting for it to cool.

"Is it possible Darius is behind this?" Integra said.

"It would be most unusual," I replied,"He has an army, I'm surprised he hasn't used it yet."

"Perhaps all of this was to throw us off guard." She kept the cigar in her mouth and rested her chin on her hands, "Sometimes I wonder if I'm too old for this..."

"Your mind is as sharp as the day I met you, Sir Integra," I said, emptying her jade ashtray for her, "None of this is on you."

"I made it clear to her that she was safe here, Gene," Integra reminisced, "She believed me. If anything happens to her, I swear to God that sleeping vampire in the basement is going to hear an earful. I told him that she was his responsibility yet I can't help but feel guilty."

"None of this on you, ma'am. Drink your tea. It'll calm you."

"I've gone soft..."

"Come now, that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that," Alucard teased, apparating in front of us.

"Your brother has your fledgling, Alucard," Integra informed sternly, "We don't know where they are or if she's safe."

"In my brother's presence, no one is safe. He's deceptive like a snake, gaining trust so a person is most vulnerable. Then he strikes."

"My orders are simple then. Retrieve Hope and do not engage Darius."

The vampire bowed, "Yes, my Master."


	11. Chapter 11: Sibling Rivalry

Darius gave me some time to settle in and told me to find him when I was.

My bedroom fit right in with the rest of the house- stone floor, matching white marble desk, drawers and wardrobe and a giant antique bed. My coffin was there too, neatly tucked in the corner of the room with a note which read 'it's here if you need it'. It was a literally my dream bedroom and I couldn't stop gawping at how cool it all looked.

All decorations aside, the conflicting stories I'd heard regarding Darius did concern me and I was still very cautious of him, but I decided to play it out and see what happened. I wouldn't trust him right away and I wanted to hear his side of the whole 'drama'.

Weirdly enough though, I already felt a lot more comfortable here than I did at Hellsing. Hellsing was so hectic and manic whilst here was so calm and tranquil. It felt like it was exactly what I needed after months of being scared and alone. I almost felt... at home.

After deciding I was ready, I ventured downstairs and found Darius in the living room. He had the huge, wall-length television on the news channel but muted whilst quiet classical music played on a stereo. For a moment my heart twinged at an upcoming memory: _my grandparents always did that when they were alive._ I shook off the sadness and greeting Darius with a polite smile,

"You fit into modern life well," I observed, standing in the threshold, peering around the room.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously, one eyebrow slightly higher than the other.

"You're, what, about 600 years old? Yet you have a house decked out in the newest technology and you watch TV."

"I'm 605, actually. And why does that seem strange to you? After living through the years I could be who I wanted in whatever form or profession I wanted. Might as well keep up with the times and leave the past in the past."

"It's just that Alucard sits in a dark old room all day, drinks wine and sleeps." Darius Handed me a glass and poured red liquid from a crystal canister, "He meets the stereotypical vampire criteria."

"Wine?" his eyebrow raised higher, "My my, he has not changed at all. Clinging onto small pieces of what he'd used to do."

"Speaking of which," I added, "can vampires even drink alcohol?"

"Yes. It's one of the only human consumables our bodies don't reject. But don't go getting any ideas. I may have been kind before, but you still are my responsibility. What kind of father would I be if I let my teenage daughter drink?" He saw the smug expression on my face and questioned it. "What?"

"My mum let me drink," I said, smirking, "She'd often pay for booze if my friends and I wanted to go out." For a moment there I had flashback- Chrissy and our friend James would go out into a field with bottles of rose, sugary colourful vodka drinks and cheap lager. We'd sit there until 4am watching the sun come up and talk for hours. Those were great times and thinking about them made me happy. Well, aside from the hangovers.

"Yes, that does sound like her." He shook his head sighing, "I _am_ sorry for the recent turn of events, Hope. It was never intention to even threaten Donna, let alone have her killed. "

"So it was all this Hias guy, then?" my smirk dropped to a scowl. _If I had a chance to ever meet him, I knew exactly what I'd do to him. I'd make him beg for mercy and then apologise to me over and over for what he'd done, only then would I let him die.._ Darius saw that I was unsettled and he put his hand on my shoulder, looking at me deeply,

"He is valuable to me, dear," he said, "But until he is no longer, then you may claim his soul."

"He'd put it all on you, wouldn't he?" I said, frowning, "Blame it on you?"

He sighed. "It is like the game Chinese Whispers. I tell him one thing, he tells his girls another thing, and they make their own interpretations of my orders."

"Why'd you need him anyway?" I asked, "Or an army of women vampires?"

"It's good to have allies, especially powerful ones. Now, Hope, why don't we-"

"-But how come you allegedly have them all under your thumb. Surely you weren't plotting something?"

For a split second he appeared agitated by my interruption and my request for information. It was like he was another person in that single time frame but I could have just been imagining it."There are more dangerous beings and creatures out there than you could ever comprehend, Hope," he explained, "Cults, groups, gangs of things which have insane abilities like you and I. Not just vampires. It's all... territorial, in a way. It's better to be safe than being alone." I accepted this answer and he gestured to my glass. "Drink. We must make sure you're strong and alert."

I did as I was told and the blood had a sweeter taste than what I was used to. It was definitely different to the blood packets at Hellsing, but I couldn't figure out what it was. It also immediately made me feel more energised which surprised me. Darius picked up on this.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"This blood..." I said, peering into the contents of my glass,"it tastes kind of weird."

"That's because, my dear, it's the blood of a virgin. Always sweeter and much more... potent than other types of blood."

"Virgin blood?"

"It is better for vampires to feed off virgins. There's a long complicated reason which I don't think you'd want to listen to. It'll also prevent your shadow from being untamed."

I shrugged, taking another sip, and then sitting down on the leather sofa, watching the silent news. Darius mirrored my actions on the single sofa chair. It was actually sort of nice; reading the subtitles of the news with him whilst there's soothing classical music in the background. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable at all, in fact, it was a comfortable silence. A confusing thought then occurred to me: _what do I even call Darius? Dad? Father?_ _Would it be weird to jump straight to that?_ "So what do I call you?"

"Hmm?"

"Like, what do I address you as?"

"You know, I'd never actually thought of that," Darius chuckled, "I suppose you could call me 'Tată'."

"What does that mean?"

"Papa in Romanian. Your heritage. You might as well learn some of the language."

I blushed happily. It was somewhat relieving to know where I came from and that there was a whole complex history within my blood. It was quite exciting, actually, and I couldn't wait to start learning: "What are we doing today then?"

"I thought I'd answer any questions you needed to get off your chest, then I'd help you unlock your true potential."

And that's what he did. He took me into a large shed in the garden (which just as beautiful as the house) and the walls were lined with different types of blades. Similar to Hellsing, there were training dummies waiting to be demolished.

Darius taught me how to properly summon my shadow and bend it to my will. Alucard was right to a point, it was all about intent, but he didn't make it clear on how to manifest that intent. It was as if I had a muscle that could trigger it and summon it. The only way I could liken it to is the Toby Maguire Spiderman films where he shoots webs out from his palms. Silly now that I think about it, but it was extremely similar. I could make my aura come out of my palms and it was one of the prettiest things I'd ever seen: jet black and apple green with glowing embers flying along side it, intertwining and swirling in my hands like a whirlpool. It warm to the touch and I could make it pick up objects and move things across the room. Darius was happy with me and voiced his appreciation (unlike Alucard).

"Very good, very impressive... but now try and turn it into a weapon," he said, "Make your intentions to attack. I'll show you." He summoned his shadow it was the same colour as mine yet thicker and more prominent. He formed it into sharp dagger-like shapes and he demonstrated its power by demolishing a block of wood which turned to ash upon contact with these daggers. I stared in amazement,

"Wow. I don't know, tată, I really don't think I can..." I said.

"You can, fiică, You're my blood."

And so I focused as hard as I good, staring at the manifestation in my hands. It began to shape into a long blade which resembled my ninjaken and I held it hesitantly in my hand. It steamed and flickered and began to dissolve slowly into smoke. "Concentrate, Hope," Darius advised, "It's not a strong as it should be."

I stared intensely at the blade and it became heavy and solid. I took it with both hands and sliced the wood in front of me and just like when my father did it, it turned to ash. I looked up, beaming in excitement."I did it!" I exclaimed.

"I knew you could. I'm so proud of you." There was the quiet sound of a twig branch snapping and Darius became suddenly wary, his demeanour changing instantly. His eyes narrowed and he felt ... almost dangerous to be around. "Get behind me and stay quiet." I did as I was told and he waited in silence, listening out for any more noise. The door of the shed creaked open but I couldn't see who was there and I felt my heart beating hard against my chest in anxiety. Darius, however, let out a relieved laugh,

"It was only a matter of time before you came here," he said to whoever was at the door.

"You have something which is mine." _Alucard._ I rolled my eyes.

"I wouldn't know about that. How did you find her?"

"Her heart fits with her name. It beats like a nightingale's wings."

I stood next to Darius, frowning at my master. His eyes went on me and they were glaring slightly at my insubordination.

"You need to leave," I tell him. Darius smirks at me, pleased at my response.

"I have my orders from Sir Integra which say otherwise," Alucard replied darkly,"Please don't make it so I have to disobey her instructions. You know that won't fare well with her."

"We'll let Hope decide what she wants, shall we 'No life king' ?" Darius challenged mockingly.

"I'm staying, Alucard," I admitted, "There's no freedom at that place."

"You're a fool," Alucard spat. He stepped forward but I reacted, halting him with my shadow which provided a barrier. He shoved past it so I restrained him against the wall with it. "Oh?" He tried to rip himself from it but I wouldn't allow it, even thought I felt him putting his weight against it trying to break free. It was draining to keep it up.

"She's a lot stronger than you think," Darius said smugly, "And the only fool here is you for coming here, _little brother."_

"My orders are not to engage in combat, _Darius."_

"Then what was the point in coming here? Did you think I'd just hand her over? She's made her intentions clear enough. She stays with me."

"I turned her. You know what I could do."

Darius' face dropped into a dangerous scowl and the two stared at each other, tensions rising. Alucard broke free of his restraints and went to grab for me, only to be intercepted by Darius who was wielding a long golden spear which had snakes winding up to the tip. He somehow sliced his arm clean off and it dropped to the floor with a thud. This didn't phase the Red Man, who regrew his arm in front of our eyes. It was unnerving to watch, for sure.

"I'm not here to fight," Alucard said, but he didn't indicate any signs of peace. He said it like a warning, as if terrible things would happen if Darius didn't obey.

"Then leave," I said.

"You're in danger, Nightingale. More than you've ever been. Yet you just walk into the snake's pit as if you have a death wish."

"Don't be ridiculous. He hasn't tried to hurt me and I'm certain he won't either."

"Then you're twice the fool I thought you were. You don't know what he did, do you?"

"What?" I looked at Darius for answers, whose face was literally twitching in rage. Alucard was smiling directly at him but I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Oh, you haven't told her?" Alucard said, "Interesting."

"You're treading on the wrong lines,"he growls, " _Vladimir."_ He suddenly attacks Alucard, but all he does in response was deflect. He never attacks Darius back and dodged his advances, each time trying to get towards me and grab a hold. Darius managed to stab Alucard through the chest and the wound began to sizzle as the weapon was twisted deeper. For the first time knowing him, I heard Alucard wince in pain as the expression of shock is visible on his face.

"Did that hurt?" Darius taunted,"I should imagine that it does. It's a new project I've been working on. Blessed metal designed to slow the healing abilities of certain vampires, and by certain vampires I mean you."

Alucard managed to push the spear out of his chest and he stepped away, holding his wound which slowly healed and he glowered at at his brother.

"I told you, I am not going to engage," Alucard said firmly,"so I don't know why you're trying so hard. I'm only here for the girl."

"That _girl_ has a name," I said, folding my arms.

"Did you know he fed you your mothers blood earlier?" He asked me,"I can hear her in your mind. She's trying to warn you of what's to come and if you're not going to even listen to her, Nightingale, then you're lost. "

"What are you talking about?!" I looked at Darius, deeply disturbed. He turned to me and tried to calm me, crouching down and holding my shoulders.

"Darling, my dear fiică, do you really think I'd do something as sadistic as that?"

Both men were waiting for me to answer. I was in a difficult situation. I didn't know who to believe, but in reality it's not like Alucard wanted to answer any questions I had for him whilst Darius had answered them without mocking me for asking. I make eye contact with Alucard and I hear his voice in my head: _be smart, Nightingale._

This drove my patience to the edge and I found returning anger towards Alucard. His face, his person- everything about him set my bones on fire as I came to a morbid realisation:

"You were there the night my mother was killed," I say slowly in realisation,"You were in the area. I saw you in the corner shop talking to Ross hours before. There's no way you didn't know what was about to happen and there's no way you weren't around waiting for me to be in actual danger. You could have saved her, you could have saved my mother but you chose to make a dramatic entrance instead. I thought before that you genuinely didn't know Cassandra would kill her but I know for a fact that you did." I quickly summoned my shadow and formed my blade again, this stabbing him in the heart. Blood shot from his mouth as I pressed the blade harder into his vital organ with every word. "You ruined my life once and you're here trying to ruin it again? I know this probably doesn't affect you at all and you can heal yourself and walk out of here, but understand that I am not your personal project for you to play with and manipulate. I'm my own person. No one else's."

I withdrew my blade and made it disappear. It was a relief stabbing him, but it wasn't enough.

"You're making a grave mistake," Alucard said quietly, the blood he lost retracting back into his body.

"I seriously doubt that. Now leave." I stood back next to Darius and glared at the red man. "Just go."

Alucad turned to leave but was stopped when Darius put a hand on his shoulder. He whispered something to him in their native tongue which made Alucard let out a low growl before he left.

"You were very brave," Darius praised.

"I think I need to lie down." I ignored what he said as I walked out and went back into the house. Once I was in my room, I collapsed on my bed and I screamed into my pillow. I remembered what Alucard had said about Darius feeding me my mum's blood and even though I didn't want to believe it I didn't know whether it was true or not for sure. Eventually I couldn't stand the thought of possibly having my mother's blood inside me so I ran to bathroom and stuck my fingers down my throat until I puked. I kept puking and puking until my stomach was empty and all that came up was spit and until my gag reflex didn't work anymore. I sat up from the toilet, panting, saliva running down my chin, feeling disgusted with myself. There was a knock on the door which made me jump.

"Hope?"

"I'm fine," I called back,"Just leave me be for a bit."

The footsteps went away and I let out a long sigh, wiping my chin. I don't know why, but I started crying. I did my best to stay quiet but I had a lot to cry about apparently. I felt sadness overwhelm me and suddenly all I could think about was my mum and all I wanted was to hug her and smell her scent of Dior perfume, cigarettes and hairspray. I missed how genuine her hugs felt, too. I was a pain in her ass but she loved me through thick and thin and she always showed it.

" _It's okay sweetheart."_ This voice in my head was new, feminine. I almost didn't recognise it because I hadn't heard it in so long.

" _Duckling, it's going to be okay. You're strong."_

 _Duckling. Only my mum called me duckling._

 _"You'll find the answers to what you're looking for soon. I know you will."_

I didn't hear her again. I longed to, though, so badly and it made me feel all my grief I hadn't had the chance to feel properly. It did confirm one thing though: Darius had fed me her blood. That's an instant red flag.

I hurried back into my bedroom and locked the door. I didn't make it to my bed so I just sat on the floor, bursting into tears again. I knew Hellsing would keep me safe. I knew they had been eager to help me fit in and make me as comfortable as I could've been yet I just took it all for manipulation. Maybe that wasn't what they were trying to do at all and maybe I had made a huge mistake bending to my father's will.

I reached for my phone and headphones and found the song "Flightless Bird" by Iron and Wine and sang to myself quietly, holding myself for comfort, trying to calm my anxiety-filled mind, ignoring the knocking on the door.

 **Alucard's point of view**

I was told to leave so I had to. One of the many flaws of being a vampire was that if you're not invited to a household, you have to leave.

My Master wouldn't be pleased with me for not fulfilling her orders, however it cannot be helped. That young girl was stubborn and blind and refused to obey me, although it was only a matter of time before she saw the true monster that was Darius. I'm not the perfect candidate to be saying such things but for every horrid action I'd done in my past, he had ten to compare which were worse beyond imagination. He'd for certain clip her wings before she'd have a chance to fly. Albeit, I could have told her the atrocities that her father had committed in the past and present but it wasn't the right time. She was ... _comfortable_ around him. She deserved some relief before the war broke out, and she needed to learn for herself for once, as well. Hope's weakness is her attachment to anyone who shows her the slightest appreciation or affection. She was so _needy_ ; the lack of a father figure in her life leaving her constantly searching for someone to fill that void. I'd seen it in her mind. She was a lonely girl and Darius swooping in to her rescue was all too convenient. I'm not "attentive" like he was being, so it's understandable why she'd favour him.

She may be blinded but she was a clever one; a puzzle solver. By about now, she'd be figuring out that Darius did indeed feed her the blood of her mother and her mind would be busy again. She had such a busy mind. Seras, though being loud in person, had quiet, logical thoughts but Hope's were loud and consistent- always analysing, always processing, always questioning with "what ifs". Even from the distance away I was, I could hear the Nightingale singing and crying, trying to cover the what ifs in her active little mind.

But not even that active little mind could figure out that she was the result of a rape.

And that is why when she stabbed me in the heart it hurt more than usual _. It hurt for her._

* * *

 **Translations: fiică= daughter**


	12. Chapter 12: Idioms

**A/N I noticed that more people read my chapters whenever there's more Hope-Alucard stuff so I hear your cries, dear audience, and I will deliver the best I can :)**

 **I know it's been a while longer since the last update, but this one is quite long but please, it's worth it if you want more of softer Alucard and to see Hope actually happy for once. Remember to drop those reviews**

* * *

I decided to open up and told Darius I wasn't feeling so good and he understood. He explained to me that when a vampire was still under servitude to another, if they spent too long apart it affects the fledgling negatively. It has something to do with instinct or whatever and they would essentially 'miss' their master. I didn't miss Alucard; I resented him, but I felt this weird disconnection from him that made me permanently uncomfortable. It was as if I was missing something I needed to live, and that thing was Alucard. It made me cringe just thinking about it, and I tried to shake it off but that low feeling of being unsafe didn't leave my gut.

 _You should listen to your gut._

Shut up.

 _If your instincts tell you one thing and you look the other way then you're a fool._

You should hear what my instincts say about you. Now get out of my head.

I just heard chuckling in my head after that. It did creep me out how Alucard could still read my mind and see what I was doing even when he wasn't there. I couldn't yet go into his head- or maybe I could and I just didn't realise it- but I know for a fact I wouldn't violate his privacy like that. It made me so uneasy knowing that this 600 year old angsty sociopath with stockholm syndrome could see every single thought at any time he wanted and I didn't feel so free. It was kind of degrading, actually.

All Alucard matters aside, I was still torn about Darius. I didn't know if I could trust him and the more I thought about it, the more shifty he seemed. It was as if he knew I felt this way and tried to make it up. He came into my room when I was sleeping to apologise,

"Hope," he shook me to wake me up, "Wake up, fiică."

I groaned, sitting up and yawning, "What is it?"

"I feel as if I've upset you, and I want to clear the air."

"Really? Now?" I checked the time on my phone and it was 3pm, which was my equivalent of 3am. I fell back into my pillow and groaned, "Can't it wait?"

"Please, I couldn't wait any longer."

"Alright." I became more awake and I looked at him to start talking. I knew for sure that he'd fed me my mother's blood and it was twisted and fucked up, but I was curious to see what he had to say.

"What I said about drinking virgin blood was true. And when your mother and I were together, she let me take some of her blood so I remained strong. I saved some for you because I knew by the time you became a vampire, she'd be dead."

"Cassandra killed her, can I remind you," I frowned.

"She never was meant to. I've explained it before, Hope. Hias has no real control over his girls. They don't respect him, and I can't help that. I am so eternally sorry for what happened that night- and for your grandparents. I never wanted it to get like this; to see you like this."

His apology seemed pretty genuine and I decided to forgive him,

"Alright," I said, "It's... fine, tată. I get it. Just tell me next time."

"I will." He put his hand on his chest , promising, and got up to leave. I reached out for his arm, halting him.

"Wait- what happened between you and my mother?" I asked, finally,"She loathed you and hated even the mention of you. Did you have a big fight or...?"

Darius sighed, sitting back down, "Your mother and I had a very strong but complicated relationship. My work would conflict with her morals and she didn't like a lot of things I did. Eventually we fell out severely before you were born and she didn't want anything to do with me."

"Oh...That sounds like her..." Another thing that was put at ease. We chatted for a little while and he told me to get some more sleep. He kissed my forehead and wished me good dreams before leaving. The sign of affection was new for me, but it did settle my nerves a little bit. It was still a red flag that he'd lied to me before, but I decided to trust him. Everything he told me added up and I felt at peace to have some answers.

 _However,_ later it became clear that perhaps my judgement was incorrect.

He had dozens hushed phonecalls and sometimes had a lot of people (well, vampires) over in the lounge for business meetings where they would talk with their backs turned on me and whispered in other languages. It almost made me wonder if Darius was planning things he didn't want me to know about. With all this aside, I admit it- I did want things to work out. I wanted a loving family member in my life and I wanted to be in that state of naive peace I was in when I was human, but I knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Something was off. I'd been staying at Darius' cottage for around five/six months. I was only nearly comfortable there because there was something inside me which made me constantly wary, and at first I guessed it was Alucard warning me. After a while, I guessed it was because I didn't feel like everything was okay with my father. He was definitely shifty and there was definitely something going on that he didn't want me to know about. The only intel I managed to pick up was the name 'Gregory Penwood' which struck me as odd. Integra had told me once that Shelby Penwood was a 'round table' member- a very important asset to Hellsing. When Integra dies his grandson, Gregory, would take over. I knew that it probably wasn't good that his name was being mentioned by these rich and powerful vampires in my father's home, so I considered sending out a warning. I certainly didn't want anything bad to happen to them over there.

I slid up to my room and shut the door, peeping out beforehand to check that Darius was still talking to his associates. I got out my phone and looked up the number for Hellsing HQ. All I could find was a 'inquire about an appointment'. I sighed, knowing that it'd take me a while to get through to Integra. I called it anyway and got put on hold immediately, classical music playing in my ear as I waited.

" _Hellsing Headquarters. You've been traced and this interaction is being recorded for security purposes. Can I take your name and reason for calling?"_

"Um yes, my name is Hope Nightingale. I need to talk to Integra. Right now if that's possible."

" _What was that name again?"_

"Hope Nightingale."

There was the sound of tapping on a keyboard and a gasp.

" _Oh my goodness, yes of course. I'll have you put straight through to the direct line."_

I was put on hold for a few moments before I heard the dialing tone.

 _"Hello? Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing speaking."_

"Sir Integra, it's me-"

" _How-"_

"-I don't have much time, he might hear me. Sir, I think Darius is planning something terrible. I keep hearing Gregory Penwood being mentioned and I know he's next in line for Hellsing ownership and what my father has planned can't possibly be good." There was no response on the other line . "Sir?"

" _I'm here, Hope. It's good to know you're still on our side. I was worried that... nevermind for now. Thank you for telling me this."_ She gave me her personal mobile number for anything else I heard and she wished me good health.

"Hope, darling!" I jumped as my name was called from downstairs. I opened my door and looked down. Darius waved at me to come to him and I quickly shuffled downstairs. "Come! Meet my associates." He put his hands on my shoulders from behind and pushed me towards the lounge. About two dozen pale, tall, well-dressed men with scorching eyes which all stared at me. Some with judgement, others with curiosity. I didn't care because all of it made me insanely uncomfortable and I shifted in the spot I was standing in, holding my hands anxiously at my front. I nodded politely,

"My name's Hope, nice to meet you all."

A man with blonde slicked back hair narrowed his eyes at me and tilted his head slightly, before speaking slowly and articulately: "You were at Hellsing, no? Inside?"

"Y-Yes, I was."

"And the security is...?"

I glowered, feeling some confidence return to me, "You can get in, but getting out alive is the issue."

"And why is that?" When he said this, the other vampires tilted their heads also.

"I'm not sure I can discuss that."

"Why Hope?" Darius questioned, "It's not as if you're still _loyal_ to Hellsing like those other dogs, right?"

"No, I mean... I don't honestly know what security measure that have," I lied quickly, "I was never told but not even Iscariot want to advance on them because of whatever they got going on there."

The men glanced at each other and murmured. Then the blonde guy returned his attention towards me and said:

"So you're a halfling?"

"I-..." I looked at Darius for help.

"Hope's tired and wants to go to sleep," he said,"it is the middle of the day."

"Nice to meet you," I said politely and left. When I got to my room I exhaled deeply, releasing the strain of the intimidation of the weird formal men. They were so creepy and those questions... What was the obsession over me being a halfling? And surely if I was bitten that made me a full vampire rather than a half vampire?

I sighed before climbing into bed and trying to sleep off my concerns. It was easier at Hellsing. Alucard never put me in a position like that.

 **General point of view**

Integra's mobile began vibrating in her pocket and she saw it was Hope's number. She'd been in the middle of talking to her servants- the non human ones- about what Hope had told her the previous day. She'd came up with a plan to protect the future Hellsing heir: Seras was to take Pip and protect him from his home for the next few months until they were certain the coast was clear on Hope's part. Integra dismissed Seras who flew out of the large windows with her shadow acting as wings; her destination- the young Penwood's mansion. She watched Seras' red-pink glow in the night's sky and pressed the answer button,"Yes, Hope?"

" _Darius had his colleagues or whatever round_ ," came a whispering voice from the other side, " _And they were asking all sorts of questions about Hellsing's security_. "

"What did you tell them? And who are these colleagues?"

" _I told them that I honestly didn't know but intruders had a hard time getting out alive and I don't know. They were vampires for sure and they all dressed the same and asked me weird questions about being a halfling._ "

Integra was silent for a moment, realising what that meant. It wasn't good.

" _Sir? What is it?_ "

"I'll tell you another time when you're available to talk. This is good information, Hope. Thank you. Keep me updated and please stay safe."

Alucard narrowed his eyes at his master and smirked mockingly,

"You care about the girl, don't you, _Sir Integra_?" he teased, "Could it be that you're going soft?"

"I'm only doing what you were supposed to which is looking out for her," Integra responded bitterly, lighting a cigar, "Is taking on further responsibility going soft? Then go ahead, call me soft." She inhaled and exhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a minute as the nicotine rushed to her head. She continued: "Which I might add, I am incredibly disappointed in you, Alucard. I wouldn't think I'd have to scold you of all people for this but you let a personal matter come between you and your objective. I understand how this is somewhat awkward for you but let us not forget: Darius is a more than worthy enemy, and he has Hope whom if he manipulates could be even more dangerous than he is."

"I have faith in her, master," Alucard said, "after all, she has been informing you of his plans."

"But for how long? How long until he either catches her doing so or decides she's not reliable? God knows what he'd do to her." Integra took another puff out of her cigar, "As I've said before, Alucard: anything happens to her, if she so much gets a paper cut or even a bruise in the hands of Darius- it's all on you. You still need to protect her. Do you understand me, servant?"

Alucard bowed his head. "Yes, my master..." Thoughts plagued the vampire's mind, however. He was aware there wasn't much he could do to protect Hope whilst she was in the company of Darius but he also knew she had a fiery spirit than she could use if she was pushed and challenged enough. It was cruel indeed, yet it was common for a vampire's true potential to be achieved when they're pushed.

"You may go."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the west of England Darius was on the phone to Hias. Hope was still sleeping but he still took caution in speaking quietly, already realising that she'd heard a few things she shouldn't have done. Hias irritated him. The man was obsessed with power and taking over but he didn't have the knowhow to reach such levels and he'd failed Darius time and time again. All he ever talked about was his girls and how they were strong and ready for battle and after a while all the bragging grew tiresome for the older vampire. Darius much preferred the aid of the Hawkins group- a group of very sophisticated and rich vampires who overlooked several areas of the government. They were only mildly interested in the downfall of Hellsing and mostly cared about owning the UK. They didn't like to bring attention to themselves either but what did captivate them was Hope. In shorter terms, they were lazy and didn't want to fight and mostly just wanted Integra's money and weapons.

However, even with just Hope he was already more powerful than his allies. The fact was that Hope was half vampire when she was human, but because of this as a vampire she was even stronger than most vampires that walked the earth; even aged ones who'd mastered their powers over hundreds of years. Darius knew she had the potential to kill Alucard by herself. There was a part of her which prevented her from unleashing her entire skillset and Darius was beginning to grow impatient. He was tired of fussing over her just for her to bail when she started to open up. He was having trouble keeping up with the lies he answered her questions with and the inconsistencies were throwing off his overall plan which was to get Hope to trust him completely, use her to bait Alucard and then kill them both. Only then could he take out the werewolf and the other Draculina, and then Integra and Penwood. It was a sound plan if Hope wasn't so emotional and wary. Hias' would be a consistant distraction to his enemies as he wooed over Hope and when he proved himself to be no longer useful, he'd allow Hope to kill him. He'd be long gone before anything major happened, otherwise he'd just be in the way.

A new idea came to his mind and Darius smiled devilishly. Alucard had once fed his blood to a human called Mina Harker. She was under his complete control and couldn't disobey him... if he fed his own blood to Hope she'd be obedient and do whatever he told him. He could use that to his complete advantage.

Hope herself was lying deep in thought on her bed. She didn't feel good. The reality was she was missing her Master but she didn't admit it to herself. It felt wrong being trained by her estranged father and things didn't add up in her mind- the night of her mother's death, Donna had expressed such disgust for Darius. Hope knew for a fact her mother had a reason for everything and that was the one thing she trusted her with so it made her nervous that Darius was strangely charismatic towards her. Her gut constantly told her to get up and run; leave; get out. She tried to overthrow these urges but a voice in the back of her head repeatedly told her she was going to get hurt. It wasn't Alucard's voice and it wasn't her mother's... it was somebody else. Rachel maybe, she pondered. Yet that just raised more questions- why would Rachel be trying to warn her?

 _Knock, knock._

"Hope, I think we need to talk about something else." Darius let himself in, a glass of read liquid in his hand. Hope felt a shrill shiver of anxiety that ran down her spine: _did Darius know about the phonecalls to Integra?_

"I don't know-"

Darius raised a finger, making her shush. He handed her the glass and she stared at it. "Don't worry. It's just transfusion blood." Famished, Hope drank it quickly. She'd been starving herself since Alucard showed up and it made her very weak. After drinking the blood, she experienced a weird feeling in her stomach which was similar to sickness, before she was quickly overcame with drowsiness. She groaned, massaging her head.

"You alright, Hope?" Darius asked, touching her shoulder in concern.

"Y-yeah..." she replied slowly, "I think I need to sleep."

"You know, you've been so reclusive up here by yourself. How do you want to go to your town and meet with your friends? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"I don't think that's a good idea..."

"I think you should."

"Okay," Hope said almost immediately. Darius smirked. His plan had worked.

"I'll have someone drive you later. Contact your friends."

"Yes." Hope picked up her phone and did as she was told.

* * *

Hope was quiet as the chauffeur drove her the surprisingly short distance to her home town. She then realised where Darius' cottage was and it comforted her that she was so close.

"Where do you want to be dropped off?" the chauffeur asked.

"By the local Aldi," Hope responded. A few minutes later, they arrived and Hope thanked the driver before climbing out. She was nervous, her heart fluttering at the thought of meeting her friend who'd she hadn't seen for months.

"My number is in your contacts," the chauffeur added, "Call me when you're ready to be picked up." Hope nodded, but she was distracted. She eyed around the outside of the store in search for her friend. Chrissy had only read her message but didn't reply which was never a good thing. She started walking to the benches by the entrance and froze upon seeing a familiar face sit down. The girl pulled out her phone and started scrolling through, a neutral expression on her face. Hope anxiously approached her.

"Um... Chrissy?" she said. Chrissy looked up at her and stood, looking Hope up and down in confusion.

"Hope? Is that you?"

Hope let out a tense sigh, "Yeah... it's me."

There was an awkward silence between the two and Hope remained still, waiting for Chrissy to release hell on her for leaving.

"Well, what are you doing there standing still?" she said, surprising Hope, "Come here girl, give me a hug."

Hope relaxed and laughed, squeezing her friend tightly. She kissed her on the head and the two clung to each other for a while. For the first time in a long time, Hope felt genuine relief. "You're so thin now, what the hell?!"

"Things have been really rough."

"Mmm, I heard about your mum and I'm so sorry. But don't think I'm not mad at you for ignoring me," Chrissy said,"I'm sure you're going to explain yourself."

"It's such a long story..." Hope replied, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Well you're gonna tell me."

 _Lie,_ a voice told Hope in her head. It was Alucard's. _Lie to her._

"After mum died I went to this elite boarding school where I wasn't allowed to contact anyone on the outside. Then I went to live with my dad."

 _Good girl._

"Your dad?!" Chrissy exclaimed.

"Yeah, he lives in the country just outside of town."

The two chatted non-stop for a good hour. Chrissy caught Hope up with all the latest events and gossip from the school and for the first time in a long time, Hope was comfortable and happy. She was laughing and smiling with her beloved friend, and it almost felt like she'd never left at all. She'd forgotten the chemistry she had with her and they bantered flawlessly; at one point making each other laugh so hard no sound came out and the two wheezed.

"I was actually going to go to a party and drink until I cried about how much of a bitch you were for standing me up," Chrissy told her, "wanna go?"

"Whose party is it?"

"Jared's. Don't worry, it's a small gathering with people we nearly like."

"Alright! Let's go then."

They walked the 20 minutes to the other side of town and arrived at an old hidden bungalow hidden by large trees and flowered bushes. The sound of bass thudded through the ground and there was distant cheering from inside the house. Chrissy knocked on the door and a tall teenager with long brown hair answered. He eyed the girls up,

"Well look what the cat dragged in, it's double trouble," he teased, revealing a camp voice and putting his hand on his hips,"Hope you've got a lot of explaining to do, you little minx."

"I came here to forget, not remember," Hope joked, deepening her voice. Jared rolled his eyes scoffing, giving the girls a quick hug before showing them in. From behind the trees a hidden dark figure watched the interaction, staring carefully.

The inside of the bungalow was decked out with fluorescent blue and purple lighting and Hope stared in amazement as the colours swam around the ceiling and floors.

"Everyone's in the living room," Jared said, "Help yourselves." They entered the said room and there was another burst of cheering.

Hope smiled at the group as several people rushed over to cuddle her. Her nose was filled by the smell of different types of booze, and that reminded her of what Darius had told her about alcohol. Her next mission was to get as wasted as possible. "Does anyone want to fix me a drink or what?" She was handed a bubble-gum pink drink and she swallowed it down like water. Someone handed her another and she noticed it was James. She choked mid-drink, pink liquid spraying out of her nose as she coughed.

"Careful there, P," James said, giving her a tissue, "Don't want to pass out in the first five minutes. Remember last time?"

"I didn't realise you were here," Hope said, laughing nervously. It'd been a while since the two had talked, even longer than her and Chrissy. It came back to her why. They'd had an... i _nteraction_ the last time they hung out by themselves which she'd tried to forget because it made their friendship weird. James remembered too, but he just smiled at the girl he'd missed and helped her wipe the spilled drink from her face.

"I'll race you." James picked up his own drink and on the count of three the two drank as fast as they could while they were egged on by the rest of the party. Hope inevitably won, feeling the effects of the alcohol rush to her head and it felt good.

 _You're making a mistake_ , the voice spoke again. _You need to be careful._

Hope tuned out the warning voice from her mind and focused on the drinking games and dancing. She drank shot after shot, beer after beer, being urged to chug bottles of Smirnoff and cheap fruity rosé. She definitely felt the unbalanced feeling of being drunk but without the nausea. She laughed and cuddled and yelled her old favourite songs surrounded by her favourite people.

Meanwhile, Alucard watched on Integra's orders. He knew Hope was acting impulsively to cover up the doubts she had about Darius, but her thought process was different somehow. It was almost as if the girl at the party wasn't herself; there was a certain hollowness to her thoughts. Then it occurred to him- Darius must have fed her his blood. Anger vibrated in his bones at the idea. _A cheap, dirty trick._ Manipulating his fledgling was one thing, but claiming her as his own was a completely other matter. It was completely out of the vampire etiquette. Father or not, a vampire does not control another vampire's servant. He let out a low growl before continuing to watch Hope.

As far as Hope was concerned she was having fun. Or at least, she thought she was. She tried to ignore the unsafe feeling she had in her gut and drank and mingled to try to mask it out. Though eventually the more she drank she realised she couldn't get any drunker or even puke, which was the norm whenever she drank as a human. Eventually, people started to leave and Jared went to bed, saying to Hope and her friends that they could stay the rest of the night if they needed to. The three sat on the sofas, quietly talking about philosophies and theories. Or rather, Chrissy and James did. Hope was almost silent, her mind wandering to somewhere blank and dark.

"Shall we go out?" Chrissy asked, sitting up, "I could do with some fresh air." Hope wasn't listening, she was just drifting into space so Chrissy smacked her on the arm to get her attention. Hope jumped, but acknowledged what Chrissy wanted to do and put on her jacket.

They all walked for some distance before finding a 24hr McDonalds. Hope said she'd stay outside because the smell made her feel ill, when in reality it was because she missed eating. James and Chrissy shrugged and went in, leaving Hope by herself. She sighed, resting her drunk head in her hand, her depressing thoughts and dread returning to her once she was alone. She began realising things she didn't even give a second look before, such as when Darius told her to go and see her friends, she felt so inclined to say yes, it was as if she was being controlled. Then it clicked: she _was_ being controlled.

"Are you proud of yourself?" a voice echoed, "Engaging in this sort of activity?"

"Leave me alone..." Hope slurred and waved in front of her, as if to wave the voice away, "I don't need your approval.."

"You know what he's going to do. You know what's really happening."

"Nothing's happening."

An apparition of Alucard appeared before her and she rolled her eyes. "You think making me hallucinate is going to make me believe you?" She went to put her arm through the hologram but ended up touching a solid arm. She left her hand there in shock, staring up at him feeling slightly afraid. Yet, the contact with him somehow put her dread at ease at the same time and she gripped at the material of his jacket. This was her breaking point. "S-stop tricking me," she mumbled, tears forming in her eyes, still holding on."I can't take it anymore... "

Alucard looked down at her, feeling thin strings of empathy for the girl. She was indeed an emotional mess, and being intoxicated didn't help her on this part either. Alas, he softened his hard gaze and his tone to something more calming,

"Look at me, Hope," he said, quietly. Hope looked up at him with big, tearful eyes. "This isn't a trick." He placed his hand over hers to show her what she needed to see. He was aware Darius had fed her his own blood and that only benefited in one way- he could show Hope Darius' memories through her form. There were many awful things he had done, but Alucard decided the time was right for her to know the truth of how she was conceived.

One of the most straining factors about having a blood connection with another vampire was that you could feel what the other was feeling. The unease Hope experienced without Alucard had been because that was what Alucard was feeling without Hope in the safety of Hellsing. Ever since the 'conditioning' Van Helsing conducted on him, he was made to only feel passionate about destruction and slaughtering enemies on command. After turning Seras and Hope, it had caused him to feel human things again. In some sense, it was a relief to have even a slither of his human traits back but they pained him also and it was torture, as if there was inner conflict in his mind he had no control over.

Alucard watched the expression on the girl's face go from being upset to just plain mortified as he showed her what Darius had done. It hurt him slightly that he had show Hope her mother getting raped to make her fully understand that Darius was nothing but foul.

Hope's heart stopped completely at the graphic scene and everything went silent in her world. She felt many emotions in the span of a few mere seconds, ones which made her feel such rage but also such ...mournfulness. Right there in her mind, her own mother was screaming and crying, being pinned down by a being that was unmistakably Darius. He whispered sweet nothings to her, insisting that he was doing the right thing, but the sounds Donna was making suggested strongly that wasn't the case.

Alucard decided that was enough. He removed his hand and looked at Hope as she came to, shaking and breathing unevenly.

"H-he... h-he ra-..." she couldn't finish the sentence. It was as if she felt a slither of what her mother felt that night Darius touched her without consent. It hurt her to know that Darius had done those things- _Darius, who'd shown so much kindness to her when she needed it, who'd tried to fix their relationship, who answered so many confusing things for her._ She stared up at Alucard, who didn't know what she expected from him: _comfort? Reassurance?_

The restaurant's doors opened and Chrissy and James stumbled out laughing, their mouths full of chicken nuggets and fries. Hope quickly wiped her tears and took a quick deep breath to steady her emotions, not risking explaining her situation to her friends. The other two stopped when they saw Hope with Alucard and grew wary, placing their meals down on a nearby bench.

"This guy bothering you, P?" James asked, straightening his posture and pushing up his sleeves.

"No, he's my uncle," Hope quickly replied, "he was just checking up on me." She knew her friends were about to get weird and start asking questions because Alucard didn't fit in the 'McDonalds at 3am' scene. She pushed herself out of her comfort zone and gave Alucard a hasty hug.

 _I really don't like it either,_ she thought to him, _but just go with it. They can't know._

To Hope's surprise Alucard held onto the embrace, lowering himself and muttering in her ear,

"Ești o pasăre puternică, mică. Stai puțin mai mult. Să-ți iei inima în dinți." _You are strong, little bird. Hang on a while longer. Take your heart into your teeth._ Hope of course had no clue what he was saying but she kept it in her mind to Google Translate it later on. Alucard let go and walked away, leaving Hope confused by the gesture and that uneasy feeling returned. _One minute she'd stabbed him in the heart and the next he was returning a hug?_ He smelled strange, too, like old burned things.

"Your... uncle?" Chrissy raised a judging eyebrow, sitting down on a bench,"He's...kind of terrifying."

"I wasn't scared of him," James bragged, digging back into his food. Hope rolled her eyes and joined her friends.

"Sure, sure," she said.

"So what's the deal then?" Chrissy asked.

"What do you mean?"

"He said something in Romanian. You Romanian?"

Hope stared at her, amazed that she picked that up. She shook off her bewilderment and answered: "my mum was blonde, so these raven locks had to come from somewhere." She flipped her hair and her friends laughed. "How did you know?"

"He said 'take your heart into your teeth'. We went over in English literature class, it means be brave basically."

"I'm missing all the best shit at school," Hope frowned.

"Dude, it's school," James said, "Only thing you've really missed out on is hearing about who fucked who. Speaking of which, you know Jessica Newman?"

"From the year above? Yeah?"

"Fucked Mr Keetle and they got caught in the girl's toilets. " James and Chrissy erupted into laughter at Hope's reaction and she grinned. The group remained there for about an hour and the conversations slowed down as their drunkness wore off.

Hope's happiness also wore off, as she realised the night was coming to an end and she'd have to return to Darius soon. The thought of it terrified her but she knew she had to come up with a plan to deal with him; maybe even kill him.


	13. Chapter 13: Search And Destroy

**A/N** **I'm writing this through my phone so the text might be weirdly laid out but my laptop's in repair right now so if the text is messed up then I'll fix it as soon as I can. I suggest listening 'Hooked on a feeling' for the first half of the chapter, and then 'Hurt' by Nine inch Nails for the second half, there'll be a marker. It's to help portray the emotions n stuff.**

* * *

 **Hope's point of view**

I tried to enter the cottage without making a sound but my driver must have already told Darius I was back because he was waiting by the stairs for me, reading a book. The atmosphere was different in some way and there was a song playing in the living room which didn't fit my father's music preferences- Hooked On A Feeling by Blue Swede. I was instantly on edge, but I was also quite drunk.

"Did you have fun?" Darius asked, not abstracting his attention from his book.

"Y-yeah," I replied anxiously, nearing towards the stairs, "But I'm pretty spent so I'm going to sleep..."

"Ah, hold on." He stood up and my throat closed over. "Something's the matter."

"No," I lied quickly, "I'm completely fine. Just exhausted, had a bit to drink."

He stared at me with a doubting expression before relaxing. "Alright. Well, I actually have someone I'd like you to meet."

"That would explain the different music taste," I murmured, following him into the living room. My anxiety quickly turned to fury as I saw who was waiting for us. I scowled, glaring daggers at the muscular, tracksuit-clad man with his legs stretched out on the coffee table. A voice in my head repeated over and over, urging me to do one thing: _kill him, kill him, kill him._ It was Rachel's?

"Hias," Darius said, chuckling, "This is, well- I think you know."

Hias stood up, a fake polite smile on his greasy cartoon leprechaun-like face. He held his hand out for me to shake it,

"It's nice to finally meet you."

I refused his hand, staring at him in utter disgust.

"So..." I said, "you're the one who can grow muscles but not any balls apparently." Hias' face slowly dropped and I felt satisfaction in hurting his ego. I turned to my 'father', grimacing at him too. "You know exactly what I want to do with him yet you force me to meet him with smiles and politeness? What's up with that?"

"You've met my other associates, _darling_ ," Darius responded, "I thought it appropriate to introduce you to my main man."

"Yeah, well, you think many things are appropriate when they're really not..." I said, stretching my tired limbs. Darius' expression changed suddenly for a brief second but he quickly masked it, letting out a fake laugh. _He knew I knew._

"As you can see, Hias," Darius said, "She's got a fire."

"Speaking of firing," I snapped quickly, "Unless you're going to let me take a few shots at pudgy papa smurf here I'd like to go to bed." I turned to leave.

"Hope, you'll stay here."

Out of nowhere I was overcome with the powerful urge to stay down there with the two of them, "Okay."

"Sit."

I sat on the sofa opposite Hias and he put his feet back up, a smug smirk adorning his crusty mouth. _Why can't I move? Why can't I get away?_

"So, Hope," he said, "You're from Hellsing. How are they?"

"Onto your wrinkly ass like a bloodhound," I replied. The sight of him set my nerves on fire and it took everything I had not to lunge at the prick. Actually, something else was stopping me from attacking him. It was as if my brain wasn't connected to my body and I couldn't move because Darius told me to sit.

"What can I say?" he sat back his seat, proud of myself, "I like to show off."

" _Can't imagine what..."_

Hias sniffed, "I'm aware that some of my girls went a little rogue, but come on. Things happen. Mistakes happen. And I just want to be _friends_."

"I have no family left and you caused me months of misery but whatever."

"Hey, I'm sorry. Shit happens. Water under the bridge, yeah?"

I gritted my teeth, feeling my fangs cut the inside of my lip, remaining silent. _This guy was really pushing his boundaries._

"Oh come on!" he tried, "So a mouthy cunt and her parents are dead- you're here, aren't you?"

"Tată?" I hissed, not taking my eyes off the Londoner. _Why did I address him as that? He's no father of mine._ Darius sighed, shaking his head and clicking his tongue in disapproval. I couldn't help but feel like this situation was purposely set up...

"Why'd you have to say that, Hias?" Darius asked Hias, frowning, "Go on, Hope. Kill him."

Hias' facial expression went from being cocky to terrified in a split second, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Wait," Hias said nervously, "Wait, wait, wait-"

Even though I was certain Darius was controlling me somehow, I had no complaints about what he'd just told me to do. I got up and stepped towards him, releasing my shadow and drawing my sword from it. Hias fell over the back of the chair trying to scramble away but I held him down to the floor with my aura, which burned his flesh. The stench of cooked skin filled the air and it was so gratifying to know I was hurting him.

I then pressed my foot hard on his crotch and he let out a pained cry.

"After everything I've done for you, Darius?" he called out, his voice shaky, "My girls will find out!"

"Actually, I'll say you suffered a horrible death at the hands of Hellsing," Darius said, walking over to us and looking down at the man, "Which is _partially_ true. As for your girls... they work for me now. Don't worry, I'll take good care of them. Now, Hope, if you may..."

I grabbed Hias by the throat and lifted him up, slamming him into the wall a few times, causing his skull to start caving in. He scratched and reached at me, only to be restrained again. I slowly pushed my searing blade into his stomach, reading every emotion on his face and being fulfilled by the revenge.

"What... is... this?" he gurgled, blood dripping from his mouth, "I can't summon...my... my..."

"Hope's special," Darius said, smiling."She's like no vampire you've ever met before."

I started digging my nails into his throat and I ripped the arteries out from his neck. Blood squirted onto my face and he writhed like an animal caught in a trap. Each time he tried to regenerate his flesh I just tore deeper and deeper until there was barely anything to regenerate. He stared at me with pure fear and desperation.

"I-if you knew what I knew," he gurgled, "Spare me, and I'll tell you everything I know. I-I promise! I know what he's done to you, I can help you escape!"

I hesitated, considering his offer. He was desperate to live but there was a small chance that he could have been lying. Then again, things hadn't been adding up with Darius and if there was anything who'd know anything it'd be him.

Darius leaned over my shoulder and muttered into my ear in a soothing, persuasive tone:

"You know from you heart he's lying to you. Just like your mother lied and Hellsing lied... he is no better than the rest of them. Finish him, Hope. Let out all your frustration. You know I'm the only one who really cares. "

I screamed, feeling building pressure in my core. It got hotter and hotter until I felt like I exploded, green and black light filling the room and impaling the vampire in front of me. It flowed into him like a burst river, flooding into his chest and claiming his soul whilst he shook violently in agony. He very soon went limp and his once red eyes clouded over a grey colour; he was dead.

I relaxed, my aura returning back into my body and my muscles failed to work. I instantly fell to floor, breathing heavily as I worked on calming myself down.

Hias was dead but I didn't feel any better. Instead I felt... empty.

"Is that better?" Darius asked, crouching next to me.

"No..." I replied, "No it isn't." I tried to stand but stumbled, feeling a dizziness overwhelm me. Darius held onto my shoulders to keep me still but I wormed away from his grip.

"You've been... edgy since you got back," Darius commented, "I'd hate to think something happened to you while you were out."

"Nothing happened," I snapped, "I told you... I'm tired and intoxicated." I managed to pull myself up without his help. I began wiping my hands on my trousers to get the blood off, but with little success.

Darius looked at me for a moment or two, assessing my face carefully. He gave in, sighing. "Alright, dear. Go to sleep."

Instead of going to my room and getting into my bed I passed out right there on command. I don't know why, and I don't know how it happened. I just remember closing my eyes and falling to the floor, but I even don't recall hitting the ground. *** A/N -change song to Hurt by Nine Inch Nails ***

I had some weird vision-like dreams. Dreams of people being slaughtered at the hands of a powerful force but I couldn't see who was responsible; just a lot of red and black. There was screaming, crying and begging for mercy, responded only by cruel uncontrollable laughter. _Was that Alucard? Or Darius?_ Whatever I was witnessing it was awful, but yet I couldn't shut it out. I had to watch children getting impaled and mothers getting drained.

When I woke I was somewhere extremely dark, and it took me a minute to realise I was back in the same warehouse that I met Darius in. I tried to stand up but I became aware of the fact I was chained to the wall, and tightly too. When I tried to adjust the tight restraints I realised they were coated in silver and the metal burned into my joints. It stung. _Really badly_. I could barely move and I couldn't summon my shadow to free myself because the silver rendered me powerless. I started to panic, feeling a wash of terror in my gut.

"You're awake," I heard Darius say, slowly stepping into the light.

"What's going on?" I demanded, pulling at my chains. "What are you doing? Tată?" Darius smiled and what chilled me was the fact it was the first time I'd seen him genuinely do so.

"Always so many questions, Hope," he said, "You never find answers for yourself. So lazy, just like your mother." His eyes glistened at the hurt I took from that comment and he continued: "Of course you know the truth now, don't you? Of how you came to be. Only, you don't know _why,_ do you?"

"I thought I asked too many questions," I retorted foolishly, clenching my fists to deal with the agony of the chains.

All of this was so predictable and I was stupid for not being careful, yet I couldn't help but feel betrayed and distraut by this turn of events... _I just wanted to be part of a family again and be happy. That was all._

"So witty too." He came towards me and crouched to my level whilst I glared at him, fighting back tears as he looked at me with such pity, as if I was a filthy beggar on the streets.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him, my voice quivering, "don't you care about me at all?" I already knew the answer but I had to hear it from him. I had to.

"Oh, Hope..." he cooed sympathetically, "We both already know the answer to that."

I felt a dropping sensation in my stomach and I didn't know why, but his words scolded me more than my restraints. Even with everything, I thought that maybe, _just maybe,_ his intentions towards me were good. I thought that maybe he could train me and support me and help me with my school work when I was stuck on an essay; that maybe we could be close with no complications, and without Alucard being right. Like he said, I basically put myself in a dangerous situation.

He grabbed my face and forced it to turn and look back at him. "Eyes on me. I want to see that little soul of yours implode and burn." I couldn't help but let tears run down my cheeks and he grinned at me euphorically. "That's good... that is exactly what I meant." He watched me cry with pleasure on his face for a while, his eyes scanning every single expression I gave him. He loved how miserable I was and he revelled in it.

"I had my plans when you were conceived. They were mostly just to create something that was able to kill Alucard and sell Hellsing to the highest bidder but that was foiled when Donna reached out to Integra herself about her pregnancy. She got full protection and I couldn't get near you. But then, dear girl, Alucard got attached. He was the weak, emotional one, you see. That's why our mother sold him to the Sultans instead of me. Oh, I'm rambling- He knew that you shared his bloodline and he grew a soft spot for you in that black tar heart of his. Not only him, but everyone else at Hellsing too. They all care about you very much. Especially your sister Draculina, Seras- what a bubbly but fucked up girl. She's at Penwood's right now just like I intended and I have sent forty of my strongest fighters who are be arriving there right about now. So that leaves Hellsing with the human soldiers and werewolf but some silver bullets and hungry vampires and that takes care of that problem; but that's for later. First, we'll invite Alucard here, shall we? One problem at a time."

He took my phone out from his jacket pocket and smirked at me, "Don't think I didn't know you were telling Integra everything. Clever indeed but of course, that was intentional and helped my plan. So thank you." He snapped his fingers and five women appeared, their eyes glowing dangerously and hungrily at me. Each had a foul smelling black aura radiating from their bodies and each were eagerly waiting for Darius' instructions.

"They're hungry," Darius said, "And you're a a halfling so they'll get twice the amount of power they'd get from a normal vampire." He presses a button on the phone screen and the familiar recording beep was audible.

"What are you going to do to me?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"They are going to drink until they're full whilst I film it and send it to Hellsing, you are going to die and I'm going to absorb your essence and become the strongest being on this earth. It is simple, darling." He snapped his fingers and suddenly I had five sets of teeth sinking into my skin. One had her hand pressed over my mouth so I could only cry silently, staring straight at Darius pleadingly as it happened. _Why would he do this to me? How could he just stand there laughing at my suffering?_

I was humiliated, I was in pain and I was helpless.

I slowly began losing consciousness and awareness, the light becoming dimmer and dimmer before everything faded to black. I don't remember much after that, only short flashes where I managed to force my eyes open to try to assure my mortality: _snake locking jaws with hound in a brutal death grip, demonic screeching, laughter and Alucard on the floor in front of me, pulling my chains off my body while looking up at me in desperation. His face was severely bloodied and he was calling my name._

 **General point of view**

Gene waited outside of Integra's shower with some towels. Her phone- which was on her bedside desk- pinged the text notification noise and she called out:

"Can you see what that is, Gene?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He reached for the phone and saw there was a video message sent from Hope's number. He unlocked the device and played the video, his stomach squeezing as he watched. Hope was chained to a wall, heavily injured, pale and crying. Vampire women were sucking blood from her limbs whilst Darius taunted her from behind the camera.

 _"Make sure it hurts, girls,"_ he said, " _We cannot have her getting back up."_ He turned the camera onto himself. " _She will be dead by the time you get here but I really think a catch up is overdue. See you soon. "_

"Ma'am, come quickly! I think you need to see this!" Gene yelled.

Integra waved for some towels and quickly wrapped herself up. She rushed out of the shower to see what Gene was talking about, hair still soaking. Her jaw nearly dropped at the scene before herand her mind began racing for solutions but was just clouded with emotion. For the first time in years, Sir Integra was frightened, and there was only one thing she could think of to resolve the situation.

" _Alucard_!" she shouted, automatically.

Red mist formed and Alucard pulled himself up from the floor. He knew it was serious but he couldn't help but tease the woman,

"This sounds serious," he commented, smirking. His master didn't appreciate the comment, or his smile. "I wonder, am I in trouble?"

Integra scowled at her servant, irritated.

"Silence!"she bellowed, not wanting to deal with her servant's teases. She thrust the phone into his hands and not even he expected to see what he was seeing. Dread twinged at his gut as he realised what he was going to have to do next; the one thing he was hoping he'd never have to do.

"Alucard," Integra said, quietly, confirming his worries, "Get Hope, and kill anything or anyone in your way."

"Finish the order, Sir Integra," Alucard replied darkly, "We both know there's one more part to it."

Integra sighed, understanding that this wouldn't be at all easy for her trusted servant. She almost felt guilty giving the full order, as if she could be sending him to his death. _She'd only just got him back, too._

She looked up at Alucard who was eagerly awaiting her order. She took a deep breath and confidently but regrettably announced the words:

"Search and destroy."


	14. Chapter 14: Wings

**A/N:**

 **There's an important note at the end of this chapter.**

 **General point of view**

Alucard easily found Hope's location by looking through her eyes. He transported himself to the warehouse to find her limp against the wall in chains, burn marks around her wrists and her torn-clothed body covered in bitemarks. Her face was almost white and she had dark circles under her closed and defeated eyes. He took a long inhale, the scents reconstructing who'd been there before him. Darius was nearby and would be there soon, most inevitably knowing he was there, but for the time being it was only him and Hope in the warehouse. He used this small time window to approach her to see if she was alive. Her mind was dormant; she had no current thoughts and was hardly breathing. Alucard drew nearer, touching her face, and focused on his hearing: she had a very faint heartbeat which put him at ease ever so slightly. He let out a satisfied sigh, relieved that she was aliceS

"Good bird," he said quietly, "You're still strong."

"Look at you. As sentimental as always. It's pathetic."

Alucard turned around, glowering at his brother.

"Sentiment is for widows and martyrs," he replied. Darius just chuckled in response.

"Doesn't she look just like her though?In her last moments?" The 'her' Darius referred to was their mother. "She certainly takes after her... preferring you. You always were the favourite. That's why she sold you instead of me."

"Enough," Alucard snapped, tired of Darius' attempt at banter, "I have my orders and I'm here to fulfill them."

"Oh?" Darius raised a questioning eyebrow, "and what would that be? To bring her _home_?"

"No."

The older vampire was slightly surprised by the answer he received but he overcame it quickly. It didn't affect his plans in any way.

"Well that's good then! You don't need her back," he said, rubbing his hands together,"I've already absorbed her essence. It's a matter of time before she's dead anyway. She is mine."

Alucard bared his sharp teeth, fury creeping through his blood. He knew Darius was trying to provoke him and it was working, but he was there to do a job and the quicker he completed the task the quicker he could leave. He drew his guns and began shooting, only to have his bullets deflected by Darius' golden spear. The two then charged at each other; Darius was shot in the head and Alucard was impaled. Naturally, Darius regenerated his wound but Alucard had trouble. He actually felt real pain from his injury.

The detest and despise Alucard had towards his brother... it was worse than when Anderson sacrificed his humanity. He hated having feelings like these and he knew that they would hold him back if he kept allowing them to affect him.

"Did I forget to mention?" Darius sneered, "I've been clever. The Hawkins group created a line of weaponry that fatally maim vampires like us. They found the memoirs of that Millennium doctor and he was working on some very nice toys. I know you're weak, brother. I know all your power restrictions are still recharging and you've been stripped of your abilities. But me? I've been good and stayed out of that sort of trouble you caused in London..."

"You underestimate me deeply," said Alucard, grunting as he removed the spear from his chest. Without warning, he summoned his familiars and turned the already dark warehouse even darker. Large ten-eyed hounds protruded from his body and they growled at the man before them. Darius retaliated, mimicking Alucard's actions. Instead of hounds, large deep-green snakes appeared, twirling around their master. The beasts attacked, snapping at one another and screeching bloody murder. It was an even battle at first and lasted over an hour; Darius began fearing for a that his calculations had been wrong. He grew smug, however, when he noticed his enemy start to slump his shoulders and breathe heavily. Alucard was bleeding all over his face, unwilling to waste his energy on fixing small injuries.

Meanwhile, a stirring Hope moaned and opened her eyes a little, lifting her heavy head up to see what was happening. She felt empty, as if there wasn't anything left to her person or her soul. Her heart beat so slowly she could barely make sense of where she was or what was happening. She saw the glowing figures of hounds and snakes, chewing and tearing at one another violently and she spotted Alucard. Beforehand, she'd been terrified, but seeing Alucard fight asssured her. She tried to call out but her voice made barely any noise.

" _Master..."_

She slipped back into unconsciousness again but not before Alucard heard her weak cry. It distracted him and he let down his guard for a second. A second was all it took as he suddenly found himself in the jaws of a serpent, its venom injecting into his veins and causing him unimaginable agony.

"When did you last feel pain, little brother?" Darius taunted, "Or rather, pain like this?" Before he did anything else, he checked his watch and his let out a noise of irritation, "I'm late for a meeting. Don't go anywhere, we're far from done." And with that as if it were nothing, he left the warehouse, leaving Alucard trapped inside the snake's mouth.

Alucard waited until Darius was completely gone to shoot it in the head and it disappeared into dust wailing, dropping Alucard onto the cold ground. His regeneration abilities were severely stunted due to the poison that was invading his bloodstream, causing his mind to race for solutions: _Suck it out? No, that'd burn through my face. Cut out my heart? No, I can't rely on myself to regrow it._ Attempting to stand was a mistake as his legs were paralysed and he grunted in disgust at himself. He looked at his servant and without thinking crawled towards her. He shook her leg, trying to wake her.

"Hope," he called, "Answer me, I know you're there. _Nightingale!_ "

Hope opened her eyes slowly. Her heart beat faster at the retched state Alucard was and she began to panic, realising that he could very well die too.She reached out for him, gripping at his jacket.

"You're... you're going to die..." she managed. It hurt so much to talk, "R-Rachel says... you need to drink blood..."

It took Alucard a moment to realise what this meant. Doing so would mean killing his servant and that was something he didn't want to do. But if he didn't, he'd die.

"Alucard," Hope said, clutching tighter onto him, "I-I have maybe 1 or 2 litres of blood left in my body. That should be enough to make you stronger a-and beat him. My blood is special, you know that."

"Nightingale, you do realise how serious this is?" Alucard responded, "You will die." Hope's stomach dropped at these words even though she knew it already. She breathed deeply a few times, clenching her teeth at the unpleasant sensation of her lungs constricting.

"I know," she replied, her voice raspy, "I-I'm okay with that now."

"I...have to refuse."

"But Master, pain just makes you stronger." Alucard managed to smile and he laughed a small laugh. _Oh, Nightingale_. "Do this for me, please," Hope continued, "so you can send him to where he belongs."

The Master took her hand and brought her wrist to his mouth. He bit off the chain that was restricting her arm from stretching and Hope let out a shriek of pain, feeling sick with worry when she saw the wet angry blister it left behind but Alucard shushed her, calming her. He lightly pressed his lips on the wound and it began healing itself, absolving her of the agony it had caused. He spared Hope one last reassuring glance before biting down on her wrist, drinking her blood. Hope winced at the contact, accepting her fate, her mind fading away. Once again, her eyes closed and she felt herself drifting whilst Alucard drank. To her, it was like she was falling asleep after not sleeping for days so it was a sweet release of some sorts.

Once there was no more blood in the young one's veins, Alucard pulled away. He instantly had more energy and was able to regenerate, but he couldn't help but feel mournful for the girl before him. The solemn manner on her pretty, pale face made him experience a regretful sentiment. She had so much potential yet she'd sacrificed herself for him when not long before she'd loathed him with every bone in her body. She was indeed a brave little bird.

Darius returned and was horrified by what he'd saw.

"What did you do?!" he demanded.

"I drank her blood by her request,"Alucard replied, simply. "Which means I have her essance, not you. Me. She was mine all along."

Darius darkened. For the first time in the entire confrontation, he felt hesitant. He'd never expected Alucard to do what he did and he felt... _nervous_. The familiar battle had gotten nowhere and he wasn't sure what to do next.

"I commend you," he said, faking his confidence, "Taking initiative like that... so very clever." He drew his weapon once again, "How about finishing this? Only one of us can leave here alive and we've already got one down. I'm very happy to make the body count two." Darius rushed at Alucard with his spear, going for a strong jab to the chest. Alucard dodged, drawing his guns from his jacket and firing. His mind was sharper from Hope's blood and he was able to crack Darius' fighting pattern: _main attack, retreat, small attacks, heavy attack, retreat._ He waited for the perfect moment to throw him off guard and he shot him in the stomach at close quarters. Darius let out a cry, for once feeling discomfort from the bullet.

 _What is this?_ His trauma took longer to heal than it usually would and he set Alucard with a grimace of hatred, adding more violence and power to his advances. He managed to trip Alucard up and he fell to the floor, yet Alucard was able to shoot Darius again. The bullet hit his kneecap and Darius also buckled to the floor. Becoming desperate, he apparated to the other side of the warehouse. Alucard mirrored his actions, standing in front of him with both his guns pressed on his brother's gut. Darius smirked, an idea entering his mind- _Alucard could be easily emotionally manipulated; he became messy when he was taunted._ He moved away from Alucard, creating a distraction with his shadow. Alucard reached out and grabbed the solid figure he assumed to be Darius and shot. Something was wrong when he didn't hear him make a sound and when the green fog cleared he was shocked to find himself holding Hope with two bullet holes in her chest. He began to feel guilt, so he placed her body down carefully and Darius used this open door to boot him in the face. Alucard's mouth and jaw split completely open at the contact and blood went everywhere, splashing on the small dead girl in front of him.

The two continued to fight it out, both making the other weaker at every bullet, every lunge, every punch. They were completely focused on the other, desperately trying to win a war that full of uncertainty.

While this happened, the foreign blood on Hope's fresh corpse began to move like it was being pulled by a magnet. It rose up and hovered for a while in droplets, before it started feeding itself into unconscious Hope through her mouth. It travelled down her throat and into her belly and the vampirin cells absorbed it hungrily. Hope's eyes shot open, no longer the amber brown colour they were before but glowing, fiery red. All of her senses were clearer, her muscles were energised and she ready to go. What made this happen was unexplainable, but she wasn't concerned with that at that moment. _Alucard._ Her vision darted to the fighting brothers and it was obvious to her that Alucard wasn't going to last much longer. He was breathing heavily in between strikes and his shadow was turning transparent. Darius wasn't in good shapes himself but it was almost obvious he was the one who was going to win.

Alucard was on his knees, his powers rendered useless once again. Hope's blood had given him a boost, but Darius' own force was too strong for him to defeat. He accepted it as he knelt there, his thoughts still and his heart empty. ' _Forgive me, Integra'_ was the only thing in his mind. He hated it when he had no choice but to disobey his Master. He knew that with him dead, Integra would be easier to kill and that would be the end Hellsing.

"You're not saying anything?" Darius questioned mockingly, "I thought you were the dramatic one."

Alucard said nothing, he just waited.

"Oh well." Darius brought up his arm to bring down his spear through Alucard's brain, permanently rendering him useless.

That didn't actually happen.

There was an overwhelmingly bright flash of green which blinded Darius, and he stammered back as his weapon flung out of his hands from the huge pressure. Alucard saw it too and he looked up in almost awe- Hope was alive, standing in front of him, her shadow protruding from her back like two large wings. They were domed around them, protecting Alucard and keeping Darius out. She smiled at him, whilst slightly amazed and confused about the fact she'd survived. Yet, he wasn't surprised at all. He didn't expect anything less from one of his fledglings.

"We need to finish this, Master," she told him.

" _You_ need to finish this, Hope," Alucard replied, "I have no energy left. This is all down to you. Kill him... that's an order."

She nodded, lowering her wings, and locked eyes with the man she promised herself was going to die.

 **A/N I don't like to put my personal life on here at all but I've got a lot going on outside this website. It might seem I spend my every waking moment modifying and writing but that's literally my job- I write for a very large company and that's all yall need to know about that. Currently I'm getting divorced so as you can imagine that's a pretty straining thing to go through. I'm not even *that*old so it's quite depressing.**

 **Anyway, factors about this story have been brought to my attention. Factors which when I think about how much effort I've put into this story bums me out badly that I didn't see them before. I may or may not delete this story or stop posting. I may or may not completely redo and change the plot and characters like I did last time, but the latter seems unlikely at the moment granted with everything that's happening in my life.**

 **Thank you for reading. I'll always appreciate the support ~Nelly**


	15. Chapter 15: Flight

Hope felt the pure power surging through her veins and it felt amazing. It was as if she finally had a purpose and she knew how to fulfil that.

She quickly glanced at Alucard who was grinning with pride on his beaten face, giving Hope further confidence. She still couldn't help but feel concerned for him; his complexion was more sickly than usual and despite his smile he was not in a good state at all. The vampire king was slowly bleeding to death, and the poison within him had overpowered Hope's blood. He knew he would die if he didn't return to Hellsing soon, but he had full assurance that his fledgling would make this quick. He could never forget that proud feeling of a servant achieving what they could truly become.

"Try to heal," Hope told him, eying up Darius carefully. Darius himself was dusting off his clothes and sealing the torn fabrics as if he had somewhere more important to be after this affair.

"I cannot," Alucard replied, "I need to drink soon."

"I'll make this quick. I promise."

"I trust you will."

Darius laughed at Hope, as if what she was saying was just an untrue joke. He stood there with his arms open, trying to provoke her into bantering with him. For the first time in a long while, he was nervous. He knew what potential his daughter had, and he was even slightly afraid that she had unleashed that potential.

"If Alucard, the No Life King, couldn't best me," he mocked, "Then I doubt you'll even be able to leave a scratch on my shoes. Run away, Hope. Leave your master to die and run for your life. I'm willing to spare you."

That was it for Hope. Rage and sadness fuelled her attack and she bolted into him, slamming into him at full force. Darius didn't expect her to make the first move, especially with such strength. He was completely winded and gained internal damage, leaving him spluttering and coughing up blood. Before he could heal himself Hope repeated the ramming attack, using her elbow to hit him hard in the square of his chest. She flapped her wings so she lifted off the ground, giving her momentum, allowing her to kick him in the face hard enough for him to fall back. There were no words to describe how Hope felt using her abilities, and it felt even more amazing to her that she was using them to hurt someone who'd caused her all her losses.

Darius hit the floor only to be stomped hard on the abdomen, which hurt him badly. He was full of confusion- _how could this young brat know how to use her newfound powers so quickly_? _How could he miscalculate the severity of the situation?_ There was a very high probability that he'd die and that scared him. This short, baby-faced girl with the angry firey eyes; this vampire who'd hated the thing she'd become and was too scared to talk to strangers- how _in hell_ did she manage to get him on the ground with broken bones?

As one last attempt to cease the angry teenager, he put his hands up and crawled backwards. He turned this into a feint and he kicked himself up, hitting Hope in the process. Her nose broke and began bleeding immediately but this didn't phase her. Darius began fighting like a cornered animal, swiping desperately and fighting unstrategically to get even a few licks in. Hope managed to doge him every time except from one powerful punch. Hope just stood there, looking at the blood drip from her face and smiled, sending Darius' hairs on end. As a last resort he grabbed her hand, invading her memories. He decided to show her all her good ones to soften her: her and Donna taking a hike in a forest, walking alongside a gentle stream. It was a simple memory, but it brought Hope peace whenever she remembered it; another was her cuddled up with her mother having a Harry Potter marathon, sharing popcorn and a blanket; he showed her taking pictures with her friends, laughing and giggling whilst making funny faces. In her mind, Hope thrashed around to locate Darius and get rid of him. She saw flashes of green which was him, but he was too fast for her to catch. Because of this, she came up with a plan. She was going to watch the memories he'd throw at her and try to get him off guard. It was fairly relieving to look at some of her fondest moments and it relaxed her, until Darius breached the limit and showed a doctored image of her, Donna and him stood together in a happy family-photo like fashion. She filled with rage, grabbing the darting green glow and squeezed it until it burst. Hope was now back in reality and Darius was on the floor again, his face in a similar state to his brother's. He'd used up all his abilities and had no more tricks up his sleeves.

"Hope," he tried, "Please-"

"-Don't bother," Hope hissed, "Peace is the last thing on your mind, you sick fuck."

"Did you forget who I was, Darling? I'm your father! Your dad! What I did was for a greater good that you can't possibly understand just yet." He noticed Hope hesitating and proceeded. "I took you into my home, yes? I- I know I sent those girls to drink your blood but that was all for show. See, they think you killed Hias. I tried to lie to them but they saw through it and wanted revenge. I had to grant them that much. And Alucard- he needs to die because, well… you know what he's done. He's killed millions of people, Hope. He's hurt a lot of people. And he's hurt you. I know he has. Please, don't kill me and I can be there for you. I can be your father."

Alucard watched curiously from the side. Even he couldn't tell how Hope would react to that. That was the thing about her, she was unpredictable. He knew that the one thing Hope wanted the most was a loving father figure and until then, Darius had attempted to play up to that façade. Hope's unpredictability was part of her being a teenager however it also made her vulnerable. The decision she'd make at that moment would be one of the most important ones of her life.

Hope stared at the ground as she tried to clear her head. She took a deep breath and returned her gaze at Darius who smiled kindly at her. Green surrounded the two and she hauled Darius up with her shadow, using it to pin him to the nearest wall. Darius grunted in pain as he thudded against the brick.

"I know perfectly well who you are," Hope said, "Someone who is so self conceited that they happily take advantage of the vulnerable, going even so far to fucking rape them. You've caused enough misery for me to last a life time and for that, you don't deserve to live."

"You know that some of that was-" Darius was cut off when Hope turned her aura into daggers and impaled him, making sure that they scorched his being and caused as much pain as she could cause.

"I've had it with your excuses!" She yelled, "Hias was your puppet, unaware that his strings were being pulled. He didn't hurt my mum like that." She grabbed him by the throat and flew high up in the warehouse, then she threw him down so he fell hard. After doing this about five or six times she stood next to him as he gasped for breath, broken. Darius was in agony, and couldn't lie straight on the floor due to his snapped spine. He tried frantically to heal but all that he could come up with was a pale green glow. Even his familiars were out of energy.

"You can't even regenerate, can you?" Hope taunted, "Good. I won't let you. I won't ever fucking let you!"

"W-what are you?" Darius stammered, his voice raspy.

"Did you forget, _dad_ ? You made me. But Alucard…" she looked over at her Master who was sat on the sidelines, "He created me."

"Y-you're a monster!"

"Like father, like daughter, right?" She manifested her sword and stabbed him in the chest dozens of times- each stab for her represented every emotion Darius had caused her over time. She stabbed him for Hellsing, she stabbed him for her grandparents, and most importantly- she stabbed him for her mother.

Darius still lived, his chest heaving for air and his eyes barely open.

"P-please," he begged, reaching for Hope's leg, "Hope….I'm sorry…"

"You should be saying that to my mum!" Hope yelled, kicking him off, "And my grandparents! So here's this: how about as an act of kindness on my behalf, I kill you the way my mum was killed. Her throat was ripped out and her blood was consumed." She lowered her voice into a menacing whisper, "I'm going to do just that then I'll burn your body. I'll know if your ashes even so much move in the wind, and as soon as they do, I'll be there to kill you again."

"Wait, Hope, no-"

Hope kneeled down and clamped her teeth tightly around his throat and began drinking his blood. She pushed his face away as he snapped his teeth, trying to get her away but with no luck. She momentarily let out a whelp when she was impaled by an unknown force in the back but she didn't let it phase her too much whilst she continued to drink. His blood tasted putrid and sour like bad milk, but she kept going as a form as punishment until he began to stop squirming as much. Hope then made sure that he was still awake when she tore the flesh away from his structure. He started screaming but she ended the noise by slicing his head clean off his neck. He went still.

After spitting the flesh back onto his corpse, she set fire to him using her shadow, making sure that he'd stay down for good. All that remained were his ashes and golden spear. It was finally over.

She clenched her jaw and growled quietly under her breath, watching the flames die down. Alucard approached her, joining her in watching the fire.

"You did well today," he complimented, "I must admit, I never imagined you of all people to take such a morbid approach…. Or perhaps I did." He made a noise of complaint on behalf of one of his injuries.

"Yeah, well…I didn't either." She wore a scowl on her face. Deep down she felt a dreaded feeling of unsatisfaction, as if she'd missed something when she killed Darius. She just couldn't shake it and it made her even angrier. Then without warning, the anger turned into flooding sadness. She was overcome with every single version of sad that existed and she began to cry, clenching her fists so hard her palms bled, hating every tear that fell. Before her was the last of her relatives and the thought of that devasted her. It ground what was left of her once full heart into dust. It didn't matter what Darius had been, it is what he could have been to her if he wasn't so twisted. She knew that there was never a possibility that they'd lived together in peace and harmony but still..

Alucard meanwhile waited for her to stop crying. He stood there, unamused at this display weakness. _Still so human._

"I'm not crying for him, by the way," Hope blubbered, wiping her face on her sleeve. She was mildly alarmed to discover that she hadn't been crying tears, but blood. "I'm crying for my family." She took a few deep shaky breathes, steading her emotions. Hope finally turned to look at Alucard but was immediately taken aback by his retched state, "Oh shit, you… you don't look so good."

"Speak for yourself." He indicated to her back and Hope felt around. When she retrieved her hand there was a thick coating of blood. Her body was brought aware of the wound and she suddenly felt the pain.

"Oh, fuck-" She tried to heal but nothing happened, "I can't … why can't I heal myself? What do I do? Am I dying?"

"Calm down," Alucard commanded, "Out of everything you've been through, this is what upsets you?" He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Vampire slaying technology has apparently evolved. I cannot even heal myself. We need to get back as soon as possible and you need to take us."

"About that…" Hope said, "I don't know how or the way back."

"Enough of that doubt! It's extremely tiring. You're a real vampire now, so use your instincts."

"You're right, sorry…" Hope closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, picturing the route from where they were to Hellsing HQ. Somehow, she managed to envision it and she realised that they'd have to fly there. "Okay so I think you have to hold onto me."

She expected him to protest but straight away he put his arm tightly around her waist. Hope winced when he touched her wound and he moved his arm off it. Hope exhibited her wings again and powerfully thrust them. The two of them shot into the air and broke through the metal roof of the warehouse. She didn't realise how fast they were going until she peered down at the scenery below which was just a blur of bushes and trees. She stared downwards in awe, which made her lose focus and they started dropping.

"Nightingale."

"Sorry."

After about 20 minutes they were outside the mansion. Alucard landed smoothly but Hope stumbled, her head spinning and adjusting to being still. Then, she noticed an instant red flag when there was an inhuman screech which made her jump out of her skin. Alucard noticed this and began laughing.

"The fuck was that?" Hope asked, her eyes darting around for threats.

"That," replied Alucard, baring his trademark grin, "was Gene. It's been a while since he fought in that form so this must be serious. You want those wounds to heal? There are several strong vampires in there with blood that'll help us. What do you say we get a piece of the action?"

"We just went through something traumatising and you want to fight again?" Hope said, almost offended that he'd suggested such a thing, "Really? What is with you?"

"To put it simply, Hope- shit happens. You get over old shit and deal with new shit, even if one comes directly after the other. If you're going to be a coward then do not waste any more of my time. Otherwise, come along." He began walking away and Hope pauses for a moment.

"Oh, fuck it." She hurried after him.

* * *

 **A/N I've had this chapter written up for a while and I thought I may as well post it.**

 **Divorces suck, man.**


	16. Chapter 16: Happy Birthday

**A/N very long one here, packed full of blood, guts, and Alu/Hope drama. Decided to spice things up a little bit for yall.**

 **You might have gotten an update notification a few days ago and that's because I removed one of the chapters.**

 **I'm gonna try and involve Alucard a bit more. He's a very hard character to write because the manga version and the anime version are soso different, and in my opinion the Japanese voice actor and Crispin Freeman give two different vibes with their portrayals. I'd like to think that deep down Alucard has some of his humanity left and he is able to feel affectionate emotions to a point (as shown when he patted Seras on her head and repeatedly referred to her as 'his beloved') , but it's all about getting him to be comfortable enough to get there. Hope's making it very difficult but I'm going to try and make their relationship and interactions closer.**

 **I also added an Alucard POV at the end of a few chapters that didn't have much Alucard in it already, starting from chapter one. It adds very important detail to the story so I suggest right now you go back and reread this story :)**

Blood covered the walls and staircases of the mansion. Paintings were torn and vases were smashed, and there were the bodies of both Hellsing soldiers and vampires alike. It was quite literally a bloodbath; the profound smell invaded Hope's nose and made her nervous. The atmosphere was cold and empty, as if no soul had resided in the space for centuries and the feeling creeped her out. It was a bad sign, a very, very bad sign. She peered up at Alucard to read his approach and he had his guns drawn, eagerly stepping over corpses and body parts to get to where Gene was. For someone who was about to die from blood loss and poisoning, he was extremely spry and excited.

There was another mighty roar and Alucard walked faster towards the noise. Hope scurried to keep up with him, drawing her sword nervously. The confidence from her previous battle had worn off and the thought of confrontation ate at her stomach. She didn't want to fight anymore. She was tired, beat and just wanted to go to bed.

Alucard sensed this within her and it bothered him. It bothered him a lot. He glowered down at his fledgling whose eyebrows were furrowed and nostrils were flaring as she attempted to regulate her nervous breathing. Her aura reeked of fear and it bothered him that she was scared of something so inferior. On the other hand, he somewhat sympathised. He was aware that within her was a human flame that would most likely always stay lit, even if it was only flickering a few embers. All that was left of his own humanity was ashes.

"Darius was the most difficult being you fought today," he told her, "You'll cut through these attackers like butter. Your anxiety is invalid."

Hope wasn't sure whether this was reassuring or whether she was being told off. She'd previously assumed that the battle with Darius would bring her and Alucard closer but it just made their relationship more and more confusing. It seemed she was chided the more she accomplished and it gave her emotional whiplash. When she was at her weakest, he'd given her support and advice and had mentored her into strength. Now that she was stronger, any weakness seemed to piss him off and to her, this didn't add up.

Reading this in her mind, Alucard grew further into irritation. Hope was constantly so needy for appreciation and affection... at least Seras understood his mannerisms and left him be when she knew to. However, similarly to Seras, she never gave up, even when she thought she'd lost everything she just kept on biting.

There was a flash of white and a strong gale of wind almost knocked the two off their feet, followed by screeching and the sound of running footsteps. The white formed into a gigantic glowing wolf, mist flowing off its body and its eyes glazing an amber-gold. There was a coldness in the air with it around, and Hope was amazed by the magnificent sight, not being able to help stare at it.

"You've done well by yourself," Alucard complimented.

"It's good to see you two alive," the beast replied, but his mouth didn't move. The voice was telepathic and the sound echoed throughout Hope's mind. "There are around fifteen girls left coming from the east wing. The mercenaries are protecting Integra in the conference room and there are no other attackers on the premises. Seras is on her way back."

Alucard grinned, cocking his guns,

"Excellent," he said, "Brace yourself, Nightingale."

There was more screaming as dozens of vampire women spotted the trio, furious and with the desire to get revenge for the death of their friends. One of them saw Hope and shouted:

"That's her! That's the cunt who killed Hias!" This riled them up more.

Hope recognised the girl from when she was fed off before and she too was overwhelmed with anger. The humiliation and the shame she had suffered...

"She drank my blood," she murmured in disgust. She felt her arm twinge slightly and she looked at a fresh bitemark on her flesh, feeling her internal fury heat the wound as if to spite her. Her mind rewound to the girls latching onto her skin, laughing and beating her as she just sat there, chained and defenceless. She was going to make these monsters pay for what they did to her.

Alucard started laughing, welcoming back the side of Hope that wouldn't show any mercy. He was eager to see her again.

"That means she has a fraction of your abilities," Alucard told her, his smile as wide as ever, "This will be ... interesting to say the least. "

The sides charged at one another. Gene bounced across the walls and gripped a head in his jaws, crunching down and decapitating her. Alucard had two going for him and he gracefully dodged their swipes, waiting for the timing to be right before shooting both of them in the head with one bullet. He then crouched down and drank feverishly from their bodies, his red shadow enveloping his body. Another girl ran at him but he just easily shot her in the middle of the forehead without even looking up.

Hope was facing the girl who'd drank from her. She was tall and had long, straight brown hair. On her face was a open gash going through her left eye and went all the way down to the corner of her mouth. She bared her teeth at Hope, a furious frenzy building within her. She had two blades of blessed silver in her hands and she instantly lunged at her. Hope deflected the advances with her own sword. They parried for a while and Hope noticed that the girl was extremely strong. She felt the give on her wrists whenever a blade would meet hers and she almost let her guard down. Summoning her wings, Hope rose to the air and booted the girl in the face. She was knocked back and recovered quickly, but not in time for when Hope drove her sword down into her head. The sound of the blade penetrating her skull made Hope feel sick and she had to forcefully stop herself from gagging. She began to feel dizzy, and her nerves returned. She didn't have time to sit down because another angry girl went straight for her throat.

"That was my girlfriend you bitch!"

Hope winced as she was scratched in the arm by another blade. She grabbed her attacked by the hair and pulled to expose her neck, and the girl went limp in fear upon realising her mistake.

"I'm sorry," Hope whispered. The girl grabbed Hope's hand, making her involuntarily see into her memories:

Her name was Kaitlyn, and the one she killed before her was called Hannah. They'd been best friends when they were human, only to nearly die in a train crash fifty years ago. Hias had smelled their fear and found them both, turning them, and they'd developed a strong romantic relationship. She felt a scrap of how Kaitlyn felt and it broke her heart knowing she'd have to kill her…

Hope was brought back into reality when Alucard shot Kaitlyn in the stomach.

"Do not get distracted or attached," he warned threateningly, "That's what makes you weak." The two were attacked again and continued their conversation whilst they fought.

"You'd know a lot about that, wouldn't you?" Hope said. Alucard disregarded the comment.

"Just drink the blood of the dead. It'll heal you. You want to be strong, no?"

Hope heard someone behind her but she didn't have a weapon, so she snatched one of Alucard's guns from his hand and pulled the trigger. The recoil startled her and she gaped at the bloody mess one bullet left behind. Alucard wasn't too happy to have his weapon taken from him and glared down at Hope as he snatched it back.

"Drink the blood," he ordered stiffly.

Hope looked at the body before her and shook her head.

"I-I can't," she said, "She didn't deserve to die..."

This didn't fare well with her master and his excitement from the battle morphed back into annoyance: "Do it, Hope."

She knelt and hesitantly bit into the girl's neck, sucking lightly. Kaitlyn's blood tasted pure and innocent and it made her regret the victim's fate even further. Alucard stood there watching which added to her discomfort. Admittedly though, her strength began restoring and her wound began sewing itself up, and once the corpse was drained she stood back up, energised. She stared down at the bloodless body and muttered another 'I'm sorry' before re-joining the fight.

The trio mowed down the rest with ease. It wasn't remotely a challenge for them, even with the powerful weapons the enemy possessed.

Gene floated back into his human form once everyone was dead and joined Alucard and Hope. They stood in silence for a while to stare at the mess of death and mutilation before them.

"This technology…" Gene said after a while, picking up a stained dagger from the ground and examining it, "It's not just blessed, it's scientifically engineered to deactivate vampire powers… I've only seen it one place before. Iscariot."

"That may be," Alucard replied, "but Darius had ties with that Doktor in Millennium who'd been working on gear like that."

"We both know Millennium and Iscariot collaborated. They shared notes. Who's to say they didn't want to earn some money by selling what they knew?"

"It all makes sense now…" Alucard began chuckling to himself, amused at what they'd discovered. It somehow always linked back to that fat, crazy Nazi.

"So okay, Catholics and Nazis made superweapons," Hope said, trying to involve herself in the discussion, "Do the Catholics still have weaponry like these? And do they intend to use them? And on who? Us?"

"That's a good point," Gene agreed, distracted, "That's… a very good…. One moment-" He disappeared, leaving Alucard and Hope alone.

"That was a smart observation, Nightingale," Alucard complimented.

"You probably already knew that though, right?"

"Naturally."

The mercenaries joined the group, breathing heavily and cracking jokes with one another as usual. They appeared uninjured and unaffected by the battle, and they cheered happily when they saw Hope.

"Look at you!" Sanders exclaimed. "Damn, look at those scarlet eyes!" Hope smiled at him, flashing her teeth. "You got the teeth too!"

"She could kick all our asses," Goat said.

"Not mine."

"Especially yours, Clem."

Gene quickly returned but had company this time; pinning a young frightened woman in a death grip.

"Tell us about these weapons and we'll let you escape alive," he said. The woman tried to struggle but quickly realised it was useless and she relaxed, sighing in defeat. "We don't have all day now, Miss, please explain."

"Iscariot sold Darius the notes..." she said, "In return for her blood." She tried to point at Hope but Gene stopped the movement, causing her pain.

"Was the transaction full and successful?" There was no response so Gene squeezed her tighter. "Well?"

"Y-yes! He paid with a vile of her blood!"

Gene was shocked by her answer and knew she couldn't get out of Hellsing alive. He quickly snapped her neck and looked at Hope in concern, who was staring at him in shock for the murder he'd just mindlessly committed.

"But I don't remember him ever taking my blood," Hope said, slowly.Alucard scoffed a 'hm'. "What?"

"Of course you don't remember," he said, "my brother was cunning and strategic. He probably took your blood years ago."

"This also means Iscariot were planning an attack when we were vulnerable," realised Gene, "Which is now."

"Non, non, non," a Frenchman said yet was nowhere to be seen, "There are no Isacariots in sight or on ze premises."

"Welcome back, Mr Bernadotte," Gene greeted, "Where is Miss Seras?"

"We found a few stragglers trying to escape. Not anymore. She'll be back any moment. Meanwhile I shall restore the barrier around the mansion, which is a dump, by ze way. Someone should probably clean up."

"Why wouldn't Iscariot attack now?" Hope asked, "I mean, it's the perfect opportunity."

"They're patient," replied Alucard, "They waited hundreds of years for one attack. They can wait a few days for the next. They expect us to start licking our wounds before they strike."

The discussion was interrupted when a streak of burgundy light hopped from wall-to-wall in their direction. Suddenly, Hope had the wind knocked out of her to discover Seras squeezing her tightly.

"I was so worried!" Seras exclaimed, like a concerned mother.

"I'm okay, Seras," Hope tried to say, but her words were muffled in Seras' breasts.

Seras pulled away, examining Hope's face and rubbed off dried blood with her glove. Her large eyes scanned Hope's being for injuries and she was frowning.

"Seras…? What's wrong?"

"It's just… we were so certain you were dead and… and I didn't hear from anyone for hours and I thought you were!"

Hope smiled at her, holding her hand. "I'm alive."

"I know but your eyes are red and your aura is so loud – "

The girls chattered for a while, Seras constantly expressing her concern and Hope trying to assure her that she was fine.

Hope's point of view

There was a noise from behind a door which halted all conversations. Everyone's attention went to a crying girl in the corner and my heart pumped as I realised I knew her. It was Harriet Bell, one of my classmates and my childhood best friend from when I was in primary school. We'd do everything together as kids, even to a point where we'd pretend that we were twins and wore our hair the same. We'd make our mums pack us the same lunches every day and we'd have sleepovers every other weekends. The only thing which split us was the fact she ended up going to a private secondary school because she was so smart.

She met my eye and had recognised me as well:

"H-Hope?! Y-you're a vampire too?!"

"Yeah..." I breathed, unsure what to do,"Looks that way, Harriet."

"Please!" She suddenly begged, "let me go! T-They'll kill me."

"No they won't. I promise." I turned to the Hellsing fighters and attempted to get them to lower their weapons, "She's a friend. We can trust her to leave without any drama."

"Miss Nightingale-" Gene tried.

"-No, Gene. You're not going to harm her."

"We have orders to kill them all. Integra made a very clear instruction not to let any of them live. I'm sorry Hope, we cannot disobey her."

There was the sound of Alucard cocking one of his guns and Harriet gasped in fear, crawling further into the corner.

"Alucard, no!" I yelled,"I can't let you do that!" I stood in front of the girl protectively, covering her in my shadow.

Alucard didn't heed my warning- no, he didn't even hear my warning, stepping towards me threateningly, raising his arm with his gun and his finger wrapping around the trigger. I had no over choice but to do what I did. I projected Harriet towards the nearest exit and jumped on Alucard to push him away. Damn, he was solid... This didn't buy her enough time to run since she'd hit her head hard on the wall and was dazed, and Alucard shoved me to the side heartlessly, growling in disgust. I knew he wouldn't disobey one of Integra's orders and proceeded to approach Harriet. She came to and began panicking, trying to get back on her feet but tripped over. Alucard stomped on her leg, making sure she wouldn't get back up, and pressed the gun to her head.

"No you don't!" I used my shadow to grab Alucard's arms and pull him backwards.

"Oh shit..." I heard one of the mercenaries say. I'd forgotten they were there.

Unfortunately for me, Alucard had landed on his feet and attempted to charge at Harriet again, so I created a barrier. I could hold him off for a few seconds but not for any longer than that.

"Run!" I screamed at Harriet. She thankfully did and quickly darted out the door. There was the sound of glass smashing and she'd escaped.

Alucard let out another loud growl, barging past my barrier and tried to go after her, and I was down to a last resort. I used all of my weight and force to lunge at Alucard, knocking him down and his gun out of his hand. As predicted, he went to get up straight away but I straddled his chest and sank my teeth in his neck. I wasn't proud of this action at all, but a vampire's strongest feature was their jaw, so it kept him down long enough for Harriet to get off the premises.

"ENOUGH!" Alucard roared.

I flew back into the wall, thudding into it, and dropped heavily to the ground, fracturing or at least bruising my spine. I hastily picked myself up and glanced up to see Alucard angrily striding towards me until he was stood uncomfortably close; an intimidation tactic. Oh shit. His eyes were blazing furious fires and his lip was curled up into a snarl, revealing his rows of pointed teeth.

"You DARE try to make me defy sir Integra?!"

I stared at my feet, avoiding eye contact.

"Look at me, Hope Nightingale."

I refused.

"Look at me!"

I peered up, shaking to my bones, scared shitless. I had felt good for saving Harriet but in the heat of the previous moment I didn't consider the repercussions I'd face, and I knew in the current moment that they'd be very large and very many of them.

"S-she was my friend," I murmured weakly.

"Only cowards talk in such tones. Speak up."

"She was my friend!" I repeated, this time louder and without a stammer, "She was my very first friend and the first person to show me kindness and the first person to stand up for me. I know you're not totally accustomed to human etiquette but that's something you don't just brush aside and let someone die for!"

The expression on his face dissolved every inch of braveness I'd acquired and my eyes returned to my feet. My own face was grabbed and squeezed by a gloved hand and I was forced to stare into Alucard's eyes. He pulled me upwards so I was on the tips of my toes, and it hurt.

"Friendships ... are for humans." His voice was quiet and low, but he said his words with such articulate disgust it made me feel dirty. Yet, I still felt the need to defend myself.

"No, Alucard, they're not," I answered back. My voice quivered slightly but I made sure to remain eye contact. "They're important for anyone to survive in this world."

He took a second to respond, whether it was for dramatic effect or because he needed to think about what he wanted to say:

"I was wrong, you're not a coward. You're a damn fool and a disappointment."

I knew he said that to hurt me and to question myself, but it didn't work this time. It just made me mad that he would try to manipulate my emotions like that. I knew what he was trying to do and it wasn't going to go his way. Not this time.

"I came between you and a kill," I said, cutting to the chase,"So what?"

"No, you came between me and a direct order from our Master."

"I'm sure she'll understand, it's not a big deal."

"Little girl," he warned dangerously, still holding my face and squeezing tighter and getting so close to me I could see every small detail on his face and smell his breath, "Choose your words carefully because they just might be the last ones you speak before your tongue is confiscated."

"Now you're threatening me?" I tried to move out of his grasp but with no avail so I accepted my situation, "is that really a smart thing to do?"

I could hear him gnarling under his breath as he thought about how to deal with me.

Tensions were extremely high but for once I didn't care about pushing my limits. What was he going to do? Kill me? Maim me? He couldn't do anything but spit harsh realities at me.

"You are... so stubborn. Just like your father."

Wow. Low blow.

"No," I snapped back immediately, "I'm stubborn like my mother. But you wouldn't know that, would you? Because you didn't give her a chance." He finally released my face, leaving burning sensations where his fingers had pressed. He was still up in my personal space, though. "That's what I thought."

"You are on sensationally thin ice, Nightingale, and you're being ungrateful."

"Do you think I care?" I asked, "do you think after all the shit that has happened today that I actually care what you of all people think of me? Are you forgetting I saved your ass twice? If there's anyone who's ungrateful, it's you, Alucard. Clear and simple."

He clenched his fists and looked at me with such... I don't even know what to call it. I had pissed him off, that much was certain.

No one dared to intercept our dispute, they just allowed us to be at each other's throats which I think was needed at the time. Even Seras stayed quiet, and was holding Gene's arm for comfort because the ordeal distressed her.

This was unlike Alucard to be so bothered by my words. He'd usually scoff or disregard anything I'd say like the boujee higher up he'd like to act, but this time my words had actually gotten under his skin.

"And yet," Alucard responded, "You still insist on talking back."

"I'm just standing up for myself and owning my shit." Something that he didn't know how to do.

He fucking read my mind. His face twitched as I thought that and I knew instantly he'd read my mind. That sneezy, low life asshole had read my mi-

I let out a yelp as I'm backhanded with a force so strong I'm knocked over. The room is silent and no one is sure what to do or say. I glare up at Alucard from the floor, hurt but angry. My shadow surrounds my body, out of my control, and readies itself to protect me from an attack even thought I knew he wouldn't strike again. I bared my teeth at him, staring him down, and I can't help but notice the instant glimmer of regret in his eyes. I put my hand to my burning cheek, preparing to get up and fight. He opened his mouth to speak but Integra had joined the group, or maybe she'd been there the whole time, and cut in:

"Alucard- a word. And Hope? Pack your things."

Naturally, I assumed my lashing out had gotten me in trouble and I immediately went to defend myself.

"But Sir," I tried, "I was just-"

"-That's an order, Hope. Do it now. Alucard: to my study. You too, Seras."

"Yes Master," Alucard bowed his head and followed the human. I noticed him turning back slightly to look at me before leaving. Seras spared me a glance too.

When Integra was out of sight, I let out my anger, bellowing out a frustrated shriek. My shadow exploded, making a few paintings fall off the walls.

"Jesus," Sanders said, "I'd hate to get on the bad side of you." The mercenaries laughed, but it was the type of laugh that'd be let out after a tense situation. That pissed me off.

"Really?" I said standing up, pacing towards him, "you're really going to go there right now?" Sanders backed away, putting his hands up protectively.

"Whoa there, Hope I was just making a joke-"

"- is now really a good time for your fucking jokes, Sanders?" I got up close to him and I had the sudden urge to choke him out, "Well?"

"Miss Nightingale." A hand was placed on my shoulder, interrupting my anger. Gene was there giving me soulful eyes and a peaceful face. It calmed me down, and I relaxed upon seeing him. "Let's go and get your bags packed, shall we?"

"Y-yeah..." I replied quietly, embarrassed at my outburst. We walked in silence for a while until we were well away from anyone else.

"You've been through a lot today," he commented, once we were on the ground floor.

"Everyone's acting like it's nothing... like they're used to it. I hate that. They're so desensitised to the violence and bloodshed..."

"Not everyone had to kill their father to save their uncle."

I stayed quiet. It was so weird to hear that in a sentence knowing who those people were. I didn't know where I stood and no idea what the future would have for me.

"Can I share my thoughts, Miss Nightingale?"

Hasn't stopped you before.

"sure."

"I know there was something more going on earlier. You two have a lot to work out but Alucard isn't, admittedly, the easiest of characters to decode. His human side is buried so very deep down. What he did to you was undeniably wrong and inexcusable but I think that was his human side causing him to feel conflicting emotions. I for one think you were very brave standing up to him."

My spirits lifted a little, "you think so?"

"I do."

"Gene?"

"Yes?"

I held my breath. "Am I in trouble with Sir Integra?"

Gene sighed and it was the first time I'd ever seen him hesitate. It did not encourage me at all.

"I cannot say," he told me, "orders here are orders and we were told to search and destroy which especially to Alucard is a ... what's the phrase? 'Done deal'?"

Well shit.

"I didn't realise it was that serious. I'm sorry."

"Whatever in the world are you sorry for? You don't need to apologise to me. You've been through hell and back today."

We arrived to my room and unsurprisingly everything was the same. Even my old phone was still on the bed where I'd left it before the Darius ordeal. I sit down, sighing deeply in relief of being able to momentarily rest somewhere soft and comfortable. My body suddenly became aware of the events of the past day and I was overcame with aching. My face still burned, too. I didn't know what to do with myself anymore- all my family was dead, Integra told me to pack my things, Alucard loathed me... I had no clue what was next for me and that terrified me.

"What's bothering you?" Gene asked, sitting next to me.

"I'm ... not entirely sure..." I replied, sadly. I wanted to cry so bad.

"What's the matter, Hope?"

"I just... I don't know what happens now. I don't know what to do with myself. I don't know what else my powers can do, and I ... it feels like I don't have a purpose other than do what he says..."

"It's too much for someone as young as you. I understand that. If I knew what Integra was planning for you then I'd tell you, but even I'm in the dark here, Miss."

I picked up my phone to look at the time and froze. It was 1am on the 18th of November. "Oh... fuck..."

"Something wrong, Miss?"

"It's my birthday. I'm 16."

Alucard's point of view

I explained everything that happened with Darius to Integra exactly how it happened. I also explained that Darius had sold Hope's blood to Iscariot and that they were plotting against Hellsing. I gave credit where credit was due, and that credit was due to Hope. Without her there at the warehouse, I would not have made it out alive. I was grateful somewhere, however the girl's inner conflicts made me feel such fury. She still constantly doubted herself and her surroundings and it was ridiculous. Striking her was perhaps taking it too far but she needed to learn how to respect her elders somehow.

"Alucard," my Master said, "I wouldn't think I'd have to tell you that your actions towards Hope was wrong."

"I know, but she came between a me and a direct order and failed to see the flaw in what she was doing."

"She was trying to save her friend, no? Her weak, defeated and scared friend? I gave my orders, yes, but there's always exceptions. Did this girl attack?"

I was taken aback by this different side of Sir Integra; a side that showed mercy. "No."

"Was she a threat?"

"No."

"There is your answer. Normally I wouldn't be so sympathetic but you need to put some trust into your fledgling, my servant. No... put some trust into your niece. Family is a rare find and you know that nothing is ever a coincidence." I exhaled. She held a valid point. "You are dismissed for now. Use your spare time wisely."

I'd jested about it before but Sir Integra was going soft. Perhaps it was the promise of retirement that made her relax, or perhaps there's something in Hope that she saw in herself. Hope was the type of girl to have an affect on everyone around her, whether that was negative or positive. Seras had sisterly tendencies towards her- I'd seen it in her mind; Gene felt responsible for Hope's well being and the mercenaries saw her as a friend they wanted to protect.

I contemplated apologising to Hope. It was not in my character to make mistakes, neither was it in my character to apologise but as Integra had said: family is a rare thing.

* * *

 **A/N Please leave me your feedback and opinions. Even ideas for this story! I'm open to anything. Reviews are self esteem for fanfiction writers so please, let me know what you think in the review box below :)**


	17. Chapter 17: Home

**3 years in the future**

"What do you think?"

"No," I said, shaking my head, "I'm not doing it. Not a chance."

He look at me with a smirk, "Hope."

"No, no no. And stop giving me that face. The risks are too high and I don't want to lose a leg or an arm which is bound to happen. And is it a direct order from Sir Integra that I come along?"

"No, it is not."

"Then there!"

"Hope, I am not one to ask for favours, but I'm asking for one now."

"I know, Alucard," I sighed, putting my hand on his arm, "and you know I adore you, but this thing is way too high of a risk. And this is not a favour. If anything, you just need someone acting as a distraction so you can break in and do your deed."

"What you're forgetting is that you have great abilities, my dear. You should put them to good use."

I sighed again, thinking about my decision. What Alucard wanted me to do was draining, physically challenging and would require me to be stealthy which wasn't a preferable technique of mine. I'd have to fly to Italy, for one. "Can I at least think about it for a while?" I asked. I was anxious about the answer I'd receive in return, "Besides, I'd need to confide in Harry about this."

Alucard raised a judging eyebrow. I knew he wasn't fond of Harry at all,

"Confide in that human? Why?"

"He knows the Vatican inside and out. He also has spy there. He can tell me if it's worth it or if we'll crawl out legless."

"I fail to see how that's an issue."

I frowned at him for the tacky vampire joke .

"Surely you must be bored fending off such a small territory from low level vampires?" he proceeded, "it must get tiring...all you have to do to end their pathetic un-lifes is stab them in the heart or shoot them in the head. Where's the thrill? Where's the excitement?"

"My idea of fun isn't stealing from the Vatican, Alucard! Besides, we both know you're perfectly capable of doing this mission yourself."

"Oh, I know. I'd just prefer your company, little one."

 **Current times**

Gene left after getting a text from Sir Integra, leaving me alone in my room. The still atmosphere and the familiar smell of expensive aromatic air freshener made me feel nostalgic out of nowhere. I thought back to the first time I woke up as a vampire: I had taken in every detail of my room. Everything had been incredibly overpowering due to my enhanced senses- I could see dust particles in the air and see the detailed textures of each item of furniture. And the smells... there were so many smells. I didn't know it back then, but the faint sweet scent that lingered permanently in the entire mention was actually Sir Integra's virgin blood, and the burned, gun-powder and musky smell that dominated the bottom floors was Alucard.

The mentioning of smells reminded me that I needed to get the stench of death off my body and out of my hair so I took a shower. I got depressed looking at how much blood washed down the drain when I rinsed myself off, so I decided to do the full works- shaving, exfoliating, cleansing; anything to make myself feel better. I finally managed to get a proper look at myself when I got out. I was somewhat more toned than my human self, as in my stomach had an outline of abs and my arms and legs were somewhat tighter than before. My eyes had permanent dark circles which I'd never had before, and even after splashing cold water on them they remained so I just accepted my new feature.

I was upset to discover that the bite marks hadn't gone away after I had healed my injuries. They were a reminder of Darius and something inside me grew both furious and nauseous at the same time just thinking about him. I think I missed him, in some ways. He was witty, humourous and even though he was completely fake, he listened to me. He always asked how I was feeling and if I needed anything and was willing to send someone out to get whatever I asked for. It was... nice.

 _But then again, that was before I found out he'd raped my mother and wanted me just for my blood... and when I was no longer of use to him he planned to kill me..._

I decided it was time to do what I was told so I threw on an oversized black hoodie and ripped baggy jeans, packed my remaining items (stealing the expensive Hellsing-provided toiletries in the process) and waited to be called or summoned. I waited a long time. And then longer. And longer. Five hours had passed and not a word from anyone. I decided to do what any other sixteen year old would- I took a nap. It was one of those naps where you knock out straight away and wake up dazed and confused, so basically my favourite experience in the entire world. The first thing that caught my attention when I came to was an achy-crampy feeling in my lower gut.

"What the...?"

It started to grow severe and hurt. Bad. It was a hot type of pain, and like someone was pulling my muscles like drawstrings repeatedly. It was so bad and wouldn't go away, making me panic so I had to call Gene down.

"So you got pain in your stomach?" he asked.

"Yes! I've said it twice and it's really bad!" I squeezed my abdomen and shifted my weight between feet, unable to stop the pain by moving. Gene fixed me with a quizzical expression which pissed me off further. "What? What is it Gene?"

"You just turned sixteen. Have you before now ever got your menstrual cycle?"

"My p-period?" I blushed at the question, "uh, no... I never got it..."

"This will sound rather forward and I do apologise in advance, but do you mind going into the lavatory and checking your underwear?"

I sighed, "okay..." and went to the bathroom. I pulled down my trousers and peeked into my pants. My groans of disgust let Gene know everything he needed to know and he called:

"I will bring you some sanitary products, but you have to excuse me, I'm quite busy at the moment so I'll take a while. Also I hope you don't mind but this is truly unusual so I'll have to tell Sir Integra."

I pulled up my trousers and went back into my room.

"Yeah that's fine..." I said. He turned to leave but I stopped him. "Hey Gene, wait-"

"Yes, Miss Nightingale?"

"What's going on right now? I mean, I've been waiting around for hours after being told to pack..."

"It's complicated, Miss. I'm not allowed to talk about it. It'll be quite a while longer."

I pursed my lips and nodded, watching him leave. I was in a state of unknowing and it was deeply uncomfortable for me, although I should've gotten used to it by now. I suddenly remembered the gross clumpy blood coming out of my nether regions and rushed back into the bathroom and padded my underwear up with tissue. I then sat on the toilet and sighed deeply. _Of course I get my period the day I turn sixteen, the day I have to kill my dad, and the day Alucard hits me in the face. It's so typical. With the way everything had been occurring recently I really shouldn't be surprised._

Naturally as I always did when I was under even the tiniest bit of stress, I start breaking down. It wasn't for any particular reason this time though, I just felt the need to cry and it felt good to let out my feelings. I noticed I did that often: cry. I didn't like to consider myself an emotional person but I was. I couldn't help it. As a human, I'd cry at movies and TV shows which weren't even that sad. Any scene with a slow-mo montage with some indie song would get me bawling. I'd like to paint myself out as a tough cookie and in some ways I was, but at the end of the day as soon as I was alone, I'd have a good cry. It was a great relief to do so.

The air hissed in my ears out of nowhere and my vision starts to distort... or the room was distorting. I fell to the floor as the toilet I was sat on disappeared and there was just a cold, dark abyss around me. I was scared, but I was mostly just insanely pissed off. _Was he serious?_ I didn't have time to deal with Alucard's antics or tests. He was the last person I wanted to face. The thought of him enraged me.

"Really?" I said into the nothingness, wiping away my tears, "you're doing this right now?"

"You need to overcome your fears," Alucard's voice echoed, "you are scared of so many things you don't need to be."

"So you try to frighten me yourself? You know, today we've already established you're fucked up so why do you need to try and prove it further?" My heart jumped when a giant dog manifested itself and began growling at me, baring its razor-sharp rows of teeth and drooling a black stringy liquid. It slowly came towards me and I found myself staring into its dozens of glowing red eyes. "Why are you doing this?" I yelled out at Alucard, "What is the point at all? Of course I'm going to be frightened of this-this thing! It is normal to be scared of the dark and sharp toothed predators. Stop it, Alucard! There are other ways to do this!" I put my hands out and the dog snapped, making me hop back in shock. I shut my eyes, not wanting to look at the scary beast any longer and expecting it to attack me. Instead, it began sniffing my hand and just sat there, looking at me as if for instructions. I hesitantly put my hand out towards it and dared myself to touch it. It closed its eyes contently and allowed the action.

"What is this?" Alucard showed himself in the darkness and he had the obvious look of confusion on his face. I'd never seen him make that expression before and despite the black mist and prying scarlet eyes, he appeared very human like. He even seemed... _scared_? Or shocked? I couldn't tell.

"It seems to like me..." I answered smugly, and I petted the monster again. It appeared happy in my presence and made a satisfied growl.

"No..." Alucard said,"it judges by scent. It ... it thinks you're me." His voice was slightly shaky as if he was generally upset by what he was saying, as if it was impossible. This was probably the most emotion I'd ever seen him show. I withdrew my hand slowly from the dog, remaining silent. I didn't want to further this conversation, provoke him, or even interact with him. I wanted an apology and I knew for a fact I wasn't going to get one anytime soon, despite his apparent 'emotional' state. I held my arm, staring at the ground.

"It would seem... that you truly are a Draculina."

"Oh really? That's _brilliant._ Now you can stop calling me weak, or a coward or anything else you consider an insult," I snapped.

"No, you do not understand what I mean." I just fixed him with a sceptical look as my reply. I was so tired of his dramatic way of talking and perceiving things.

The space of silence grew awkward so I raised my eyebrows and said abrasively:

"Can I get back to my nap now?"

The dog and mist dispersed, and were back in my room. He was still there, of course, just standing and not saying anything. I continued:"What more is there for us to discuss? You know for a fact I don't really want to see you right now." He proceeded to stay silent. His eyes were kind of glazed over and he appeared to be in some sort of thought trance so I shrugged and climbed into my bed. "Well I don't know what you've got planned next, but I'm going to take my nap." I pulled the duvet over my shoulders and curled into a ball. I put my earphones on and played a song and found myself drifting off to sleep.

I made a noise of complaint when there was a heavy shift on the bed. I turned to see Alucard lying down next to me on his back, his hands clasped together. His eyes were fixed on the opposite wall, his long legs were crossed, and he was barely breathing. I dismissed the action as weird, continuing to ignore him and focused on getting back to sleep. I forgot I was facing him but I didn't care, I was too exhausted.

"I'm sorry, Hope."

"What?" I looked up, confused at what I thought I'd heard him say.

"I'm... sorry."

"Okay." I was genuinely touched that he apologised. It was totally out of character, though. _Maybe there's something in him that's not as harsh as his outer shell? Maybe I misjudged him? Should I forgive him? What do I do?_

I was quiet for a short while, not really sure how to react. I looked up at him, trying to read his face but with no success. So, instead of overthinking and blabbering or insulting him I said quietly, "I'm sorry too." He remained still in his spot but his expression changed slightly to something calmer and more relaxed. I didn't feel completely at ease in his presence but I did feel somewhat better, and I think he did too.

It was super weird, though. He was completely out of character and it honestly freaked me out a little bit. In the past, I had hoped Alucard and I got close and he actually show me empathy but when a smidgen of that thought became reality it was so strange. He's this tall, slender, Victorian- looking man with a constant sneer on his face, as if he knew he was better than everyone in the room. When you see him in person you can't exactly imagine him acting like a normal human. I'd seen inside his mind and the awful things he had done: I'd seen him rip a girl's head from her shoulders and drink from her decapitated skull in front of her family just to prove his abilities. He'd done so much fucked up shit to other people and here he was, lying on my bed, apologising to me for backhanding me. It almost made me wonder what was going on inside his head at that moment- why the change of heart?

 **Alucard's point of view**

It was strange. I hadn't had a realisation that had affected me emotionally like that in many many years but properly realising that Hope was a real Draculina... I think it made me feel happy? Or eager? Or concerned? I was not sure. I felt a range of emotions I hadn't felt in a long, long time.

I obviously knew for a while now that she was a blood relative, but I don't think the fact had ever properly sunk into my skin. She was, to put it simply, my family. Living, breathing, blood related family. And unlike the family I had all those years ago, she didn't wish me suffering for her own selfish self gain which was strange for me; unfamiliar territory. And all she wanted was my approval. _Was I harsh not to show it?_

I am a very complicated monster. I have several deep layers within my form and each is padlocked and bolted shut. Some only open for certain figures with my administration but with Hope it was as if now she could open them at her will. Maybe I knew this before and that is why I shut her out.

As for earlier... my hellhound has only ever answered to me and not to anyone else. I strongly doubt it would even answer to Sir Integra if she tried commanding it. Even centuries ago Darius, my own brother, had tried manipulating it to kill me before but he had failed.

 _So why did it disobey me? I told it to attack her._

Hope's quiet snoring indicated that she'd fallen asleep again and this was a good sign. She had relaxed her hostile stance and felt secure enough to sleep.

Her presence itself was a sort of... reassurance to me. Reassurance of what? I was not certain, but she was a reassurance to me nonetheless. I knew she had so much potential for good in her, and it was more than what I could say about myself. I looked beside me at my sleeping niece and I saw her for who she really was: a scared girl who wanted to do her best for the people she cared about. I had always previously thought the intense desire she had for sentiment was fatuous. As a king, I was ruthless and unforgiving. As a count, I was reckless and stubborn. But as a servant I was a fool, reliant on those who valued me in their lives, so perhaps I wasn't so different from Hope after all. In more ways than one, she was a reflection of myself. Or rather, she had the potential to become me. If this was true then I had the opportunity to help her grow into something incredible and powerful, or into something as ungodly as myself. If she became like me, I do not know what I'd do. Me ending her wouldn't be just another 'thing' I'd have to kill. It would be a long, complicated metaphor about myself... and also a great loss for my cold heart.

The scenario reminded me of a Scottish Priest I knew almost a lifetime ago. Her performance against Darius very much resembled that of Alexander Anderson; the sheer violence and mercilessness of her attacks showed this, but the mercy and tenderness she displayed towards her loved ones also showed this.

There was another aspect about her which was a strange surprise to me, and that was that her wings could be used to protect others. Vampires are naturally predatory creatures and do not develop skills to protect, only to harm. Does a lion seek to protect the antelope if it is injured? It is extraordinary in many ways how her abilities are tailored to her personality traits.

Considering all of these factors, I realised that I had been far too harsh on the girl. I didn't like to admit my faults but she was impressive in many ways and her being pushed to her edge did more bad rather than good. She adjusted well under pressure but at the end of it, it only made her more emotional. This had proven to be both a weakness and a strength for her, however I knew that it wasn't good for her in the long term. She was young and practically a child still. Everything was still a wound to her and it would be years before she started to become healed. I was forcefully made into a warrior when I was even younger than her, but that didn't mean I was supposed to judge her through my own experiences.

It struck me suddenly that I was displaying a lot of empathy for her. I ... _felt_ for her. I even desired to protect her.

Hope let out a small groan as she moved in her sleep, her once peaceful visage turning into distress. I was curious to see what she was dreaming about and touched her small wrist, allowing myself into her mind: Darius was taunting Hope whilst he drank from the throat of who I recognised was Donna Nightingale. I knew I was not to interfere but it was deeply upsetting her so I cleared her head completely. Her face softened and she settled down, shuffling closer towards me, her hand unconsciously gripping at my coat. Affectionate touching wasn't my forte nor a preference of mine, but for her I allowed it.

The door opened and Gene entered, sanitary products in his hands. A smile instantly met his face upon seeing Hope and I.

"Good morning, Alucard," he said quietly, as to not to wake Hope, "I'm just going to place these here for her..."

The quiet shifting of items and the sound of keys on Gene's belt caused Hope to stir, and she woke up immediately.

"Good morning, Miss Nightingale," Gene greeted, "Apologies for waking you."

Hope sat herself up, adjusting to her surroundings. She glanced at me momentarily with the ghost of irritation in her eyes, and then looked at Gene with a thankful smile: "Good morning, Gene. Thank you for the, ah, things."

"You're very welcome. Also, if it's not too much trouble, we have a guest who wishes to see you in thirty minutes."

The girl glared suspiciously, "Who?"

"A scientist who specialises in vampires. He'll just run a few tests on you. When you're ready, go to the east wing meeting room."

Hope pouted and frowned, "Great. I _adore_ being a gawped at test subject."

"Oh, don't be dismal, Miss Nightingale. He'll just take some blood and see why you're going through the changes. I don't mean to worry you but what you're experiencing is not normal."

Hope's face now displayed nothing but worry. Her heart fluttered faster and her hands balled into nervous fists.

"Yeah... uh... I'm worried, Gene," she said, quietly,"I'm very worried."

"Now, now," Gene assured, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Chin up. You're brave, Miss." She was silent for a moment, her lips pursed and her eyes still full of concern. Then she sighed, nodding and smiling sweetly at the butler: "Thank you Gene. I'll be there in a minute."

Gene left and Hope swung her legs out of bed, looking at the wall in silence for a couple of counts. The only sound audible was the clock ticking, oddly louder than usual, and her little nightingale heartbeat still fluttering. I could sense that she was trying to calculate what to say, the little cogs in her head working hard to come up with something. She felt... _confusion_?

"Why are you still here?" she asked, without moving her gaze to me.

"I have no where else to be," I replied.

"Figures." She stretched her arms, before reaching for her shoes and putting them on slowly. She yawned again, uttering under her breath: "God, I miss coffee..." Then she retrieved the items Gene had given her, went to the bathroom for a moment and without any other words, she left the room.

 **Hope's point of view**

I tried to shake the awkwardness off my shoulders and proceeded to where Gene said the scientist would be. I entered the meeting room to see Integra sitting at the giant table smoking a cigar (as per usual) and she was talking to an older gentleman dressed in a brown suit and bow tie. He had thick, oval spectacles which made his eyes huge and obvious curiousity on his face.

"Hope. So nice of you to join us," Integra greeted, "this is Doctor Hans. He studies the anatomy of vampires and will try to conclude why you're still going through puberty."

I blushed at the upfrontedness, and nodded at her. To my surprise, Hans excitedly came to shake my hand and he peered beadily into my eyes as he did so.

"So very good to meet you!" he exclaimed, "I've heard things but I had no idea you were real. Well come on! Let's get started. Lie down." He patted a stretcher next to a table. I quickly hopped on it and waited for further instruction. "So you're experiencing your menstrual cycle, hm? Nasty stuff. Painful. Unpleasant. So let's see what's going on in there. Would you mind lifting your top?"

"Uh... sure..." I lifted up my hoodie hesitantly, and he immediately started pressing a stethoscope onto my skin.

"Ahh... interesting."

"What? What is?"

"No need to panic, little one. It's just.. a vampire's pulse is usually silent. It's there, but to the human ear it's completely silent. But yours is just as noisy as a human. Do you mind if I take some blood?"

"I guess- ow!" He jammed a needle into my arm before I finished my sentence. I winced, and watched my blood fill a syringe quickly. He then emptied the contents onto a cotton bud and put it in a beeping hand held device. He hummed happily whilst he waited for the results. There was a louder beep and a huge toothy smile met his face:

"My, my!"

"What is it, Doctor?" Integra asked.

"I've only dreamed of a discovery like this. Her human cells are still very much alive alive and active. She still can function like a human- eat, drink etc. I'm not sure if she'll gain any nutritional value from it but she can sure stomach it for sure, unlike a normal vampire. This would explain the puberty. She really is a half human, half vampire! You are invincible yet totally vulnerable at the same time!"

"O-oh..." I wasn't sure what to say until the thought came to me: "wait, does this mean I'll age normally or...?"

"Well, the vampirin cells are fighting your human cells. So when your brain is fully developed at around age 25 you'll stop aging and become a full vampire. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. You're an extraordinary being." He patted my arm, "You can sit up now."

I sat up, rubbing my sore arm. Hans started packing away his things and I looked at Sir Integra,

"Why did I need to pack?" I asked.

"Hm?" Puff, puff.

"Hours ago," I said,"You told me to pack my things and Gene's not telling me anything."

Integra took a long inhale on her cigar, staring at me sincerely with her icey blue eye.

"I understand that this isn't the best environment for you," she said, "and you've proved your unconditional loyalty several times, which is all I could ask for from you. I've took it upon myself to pay off your family home's mortgage so you can live there. I'll continue paying the water, heating and electric bills as well and give you a monthly allowance. In return I need you to do one thing for me."

"Y-yes!" I stammered, happily,"Anything, Sir!"

"Your county will be your territory. Any reports of vampire activity and I expect you to take care of it immediately. Kill them. You will still be my servant and I expect you to act on my orders whenever I reach out. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir. Of course! Thank you so much, I- I can't begin to express how happy I am." I could barely contain my glee. _I got to go home. I got to live at my home and be with my friends and live (reasonably) ordinarily._

A small smile met Sir Integra's lips and her eye softened, and she nodded in acknowledgement."Get your things. Gene will drive you back home. I'll contact you if I need to."

Alucard was gone by the time I went back to my room. _Good._ I retrieved my bags and waited for Gene to collect me.

* * *

It was an extremely short four hour drive. I slept through most of it since it was the daytime, but even so it felt short. We pulled up to the house and my heart paused upon seeing it. The flowerpots were empty and there were weeds growing between the concrete of the drive. There was strands of old police tape clinging to a bush and it was a painful reminder of what happened. It was almost nostalgia but I didn't feel nearly as happy as I thought I'd be.

Gene came with me into my house and I found myself standing in the doorway just staring at the hallway. By the cupboard under the stairs is where I was mauled by Cassandra and bitten by Alucard, but the blood had since been cleaned up and the walls had been repainted. It was a slightly darker colour than before and it didn't seem right at made me uneasy.

"Everything alright, Miss?" Gene asked. I swallowed,

"Yeah..." I exhaled, "I just didn't realise it'd be hard to come back here. I need to check something." I hurried into the living room and looked around. I'm not sure what I was looking for, exactly, but I seemed eager to find it. The walls had also been repainted in there too, and fairly recently as far as I could tell. The sour scent of paint lingered in the air but also the smell of my mum. It was like she was somewhere in the house but I couldn't locate the source.

"If you're not ready, we can go back to Hellsing," Gene said, "I understand."

"No, I'm okay," I said, "it's just... everywhere reminds me of Mum..." The idea suddenly struck me to check her bedroom. Without going up the stairs, I found myself standing in her room just by thinking about it. It was kind of cool how I teleported and all, but I wasn't focused on that. I was focused on the little messy details that were so typical of my mother. The deep purple bedding was still ruffled from the last time she slept in it, and the outfit she was going to wear the next day was on a hanger on the knob of her wardrobe: a black, collared pencil dress that I'd got her for Christmas two years ago. Her scent was strongest in this room, as well as her perfume and makeup. Everything had been left the way it was: there was even a very old glass of water on the now dusty lilac bedside table. I continued scanning and spotted the picture of us on the far wall and I felt my throat swell up with sadness. We visited a forest last autumn for my school photography project and we had an amazing time walking through the amber and brown leaves and then we had a panicnic on an old bench in a little valley next to a gentle stream and small waterfall. It was beautiful and one of the best times we had together. We didn't argue for the entire trip, which is saying something.

"You look just like her, you know," Gene commented, standing by the door.

"No," I sighed sadly, "I look like Darius."

"Well, you do have dark hair but your face is Donna's. She'd be proud of you, you know."

"How do you know? Did you meet her?"

"Yes, a few times." I blinked at Gene, totally confused. _He'd met my Mum?_ Thankfully, he elaborated: "Sir Integra and I met with your mother to discuss the arrangement we had."

"What arrangement?"

Gene sighed, "I probably shouldn't have told you this. When Donna was pregnant she reached out to Hellsing and said that she had a vampire's baby. She didn't tell us who the father was, however. From day one, we've kept tabs on Donna and you by her request and supported her financially. Alucard was to turn you when the vampirin activated in your bloodstream but that plan was obviously cut short. Anyway, your mother was very smart about her situation and she just wanted the best for you."

"Oh, wow, okay. Some information to take in..." I paused for a minute, and asked, "Did... did Alucard meet her?"

"Yes, but she wasn't fond of him at all. I think he reminded her of Darius, which is understandable."

"Yeah..." I breathed, "So you knew me as a kid? Small world." I laughed awkwardly as an attempt to cheer myself up.

I walked with Gene back downstairs and he readied himself to leave.

"Are you certain you'll be alright here?" he enquired.

"Yeah... it'll take time, but I need to be here. Hey, Gene?"

"Yes?"

"Can I have a hug?"

Gene smiled, "Of course, Miss Nightingale." I rest my chin on his shoulder as he bent down and wrapped his arms around me. It was definitely what I needed in that moment and I started to relax. "So what will you do now that you're in the free world?"

A thought came to me and I started laughing to myself, "You know what? I'm going to make a cup of coffee."


	18. Chapter 18: Settle

**A/N I decided the the entire Darius segment wasn't enough, so I went back and edited it so that Hope and Darius have a closer relationship. I just love emotionally scarring Hope. Go back a few chapters and just check out the changes I've made. The following chapters have been significantly modified:**

 **chapter 9**

 **chapter 10**

 **chapter 11**

 **chapter 12**

 **chapter 13**

* * *

I adjusted well to human life pretty much immediately, which I didn't expect. I expected to lounge around crying and being depressed while eating Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream. Well... I did, for a day or two. It was a little weird at first, having an entire house to myself and having the freedom to do whatever, but I quickly got used to it after a matter of days. I didn't exactly feel anything at all after that and the hours went by in slow blurs. Admittedly though, it was very nice- having time to be alone with my thoughts in a place I was familiar with. The intense remorse about my mother that I felt when I arrived only lasted for about a day and a half until I turned my mind around and convinced myself that everything would be okay. The smell of the house and the fact that her blood was inside me was enough to keep my spirits up. It assured me that I'd be okay by myself and I was almost relieved, in a way. I was, I suppose, at the "acceptance" stage of my mourning. I'd read that my experience with coping with her death was common, and it made me feel better to be at peace.

A major downside, however was when I slept, I was anything but at peace. Darius showed up every time I dozed off and the things he did in those dreams... just _horrible_. I'd wake up feeling violated and distressed, sweating and shivering aggressively. One dream he choked me until I felt fire in my lungs and when I forced myself to open my eyes I still felt that sensation and it wasn't nice. I thought that maybe his conscience was awake inside me and was telling me he was there, but after seeing no other signs of him I dismissed it as my fucked up brain giving me these dreams.

I didn't hear from anyone at Hellsing, or have any vampire encounters. Everything was average and honestly, I was growing a little bit bored. My routine was sleep, wake up, clean a little and watch tv. Occasionally I ate a bit of food but it wasn't nearly as satisfying as it used to be. I could taste it and everything, but for some reason the flavour didn't appeal to me. Ramen tasted like ramen, for instance, but the MSG goodness wasn't as satisfying and it was just like eating mildly flavoured wet strings. Part of me was relieved about this, because of course I had that nagging voice commanding me to drink blood and only blood. So instead of eating chips and sausages for dinner in front of the telly, I'd sip on a blood bag. Before I knew it, I was drinking a couple dozen per day and I didn't notice until I saw all the plastic packaging in the bin and was shocked.

To ease some of my boredom, I decided to invite Chrissy around for a movie night. She was ecstatic that I was back home and was the one who wanted to make plans right away. The minute I said I was back home she told me she was coming over whether I wanted her to or not and it felt so good to be appreciated again. We sat on the sofa cuddled up under a blanket in the living room whilst we snacked on a huge bucket of toffee flavoured popcorn and drank white wine. It was just like how things used to be, so it made me incredibly happy.

"So it didn't work out with your dad?" she had asked, after the first movie finished. I already had a cover story made up before she came over.

"No... " I answered, "he said he had 'business' and just disappeared."

"That's so shitty! Deadbeat your entire life and then shows up out of nowhere and then leaves. That sucks, P. But you're here now! Are you coming back to school?"

I sighed, "probably not. I missed nearly a year of term time. I'm super behind and it'd be too much hassle to catch up. Plus it's nearly exam season, so fuck nope to that."

"Smart." She got up, "mind if I stretch my legs and turn the lights on for a sec before we watch the next one?" I nodded and she switched the lights on. She glanced at me and did a double take at my neck,

"What's that on your neck? A hickey?"

"Pfft, please. It's a hair straightener burn," I quickly lied, pushing my hair over my neck. She got closer suddenly and continued to peer at me,

"And ... woah, are your eyes red? What, you been smoking weed?" I tried to shrug it off but she climbed onto my lap, staring into my eyes, concentrating intensely. "Hold still."

"Chrissy, cut it out-"

"They're red. Your actual irises are red!"

I made the mistake of grinning and she caught the shape of my teeth too. She pushed my lip up with her thumb and went dead silent, a blank look on her face. _No, she looked frightened._

"Chrissy?" I tapped her cheek, "hello, you there?"

She cleared her throat and smiled, "Yeah."

"You okay, hon?"

"I'm, I'm fine. Next movie, hm?"

Her energy was very different after that. She sat a little further away from me under the blanket and seemed stiff, as if she was scared. The plan was to watch movies all night but after the second film she said she got a text from her dad and needed to get home. I offered to walk her back but she very insistently claimed she'd be okay, so I gave her my love and let her go on her way. She was suspiciously fast to get away from my house.

I felt pissed off at myself when it happened. I knew she realised what I was and it freaked her out. _Stupid Hope. Couldn't you have at least put on coloured contact lenses first? Or concealer on Alucard's bite?_ It shouldn't have bothered me as much as it did but she was my closest friend. I needed the company and support and if she wasn't there for me, I'd feel completely alone in the world.

Feeling the harsh sting of rejection, I found myself walking to Ross' shop. It was open until 3am on Fridays, so I knew he'd be working late and therefore he'd serve me anything. I entered the shop but no one was at the counter so I rang the little service bell. Ross poked his large head out from the back room with hanging beads instead of a door and he wore the biggest grin on his face.

"Well if it isn't my favourite customer in the whole world! Hope Nightingale!"

I smiled a little, "hi Ross."

"Why the dismal voi- _OH._ Hope, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot for a moment there-"

I waved my hand, dismissing his apology, "it's okay, really. It's been a while now and I've come to terms with it."

He rests his arms on the counter, his grin narrowing down to an appropriate smile, "You always were a strong one. I remember you came in with a Russia- size bruise on your face and you acted like it was nothing. So what can I get you?"

"Truth be told- it's been a difficult night. I'm going to need the Friday special, with extra peach."

"Friday _special,_ hm? Oh, you poor girl. Okay, so if I got this right- 30gs of Cutters Choice tobacco, slim filters, a large bar of Cadbury's Celebrations Jellybeen Popping Candy and ... ah... Smirnoff Peach Scnhapps, 1 litre?"

"Memory as sharp as ever Ross," I complimented, taking money out of my wallet. He spared me a sad look, before entering the numbers into the cash register.

"25.96 please, if you don't mind."

I gave him the money and he processed the transaction.

"Hey, Ross?" I said, "how come you never get into trouble for serving me? You've been doing it for so long now too."

"It's simple," he replied, "my shop, my rules. And... well, I used to be a well known police officer back in the day, so the local station leaves me alone."

I chatted with Ross a while longer and he said if I ever needed anything just go to him. He was a nice fellow, a bit unethical for selling cigarettes and booze to a girl since she was 13, but a nice fellow nonetheless.

My mother was a popular lady so whenever she threw gatherings or dinner parties a lot of people came. I knew basically everyone at her workplace and their husbands, some of them I'd grown fairly close with as I grew up. I don't remember, but Mum used to say that when I was little I'd steal all the attention away at social events. Nothing like my shy self now, but she always insisted it was true.

I went home and grabbed a pretty purple-to-blue opalescent tumbler and headed into the garden. The garden was small, consisting of a raised wooden patio that lead to a 15x15 square of grass with various flowers scattered across it. The patio had a big glass table and some chairs and a rustic coal fireplace. Visitors would always compliment it, and it was my favourite part of the house. Actually, it was my favourite place entirely. I switched on the multicoloured bulb-shaped fairy lights and light up marble Buddha water feature that was on the table. I looked at the fireplace and it caught alight just by me thinking about it, and I felt extremely smug with myself. Then, I hesitantly texted Chrissy "Hey, did you get home okay?" only to be left on seen. I groaned loudly, using my mind to throw a decking chair in frustration.

I connected my phone to my Bluetooth speaker and the song "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" by Urge Overkill came on via the shuffle mode. _Ha, fitting._ I hummed with the tune, rolling up a cigarette and swaying to the melody. After lighting the fag, I poured a generous amount of the peach schnapps into my glass and tried to relax. Strangely, I felt the dizzying effect of consuming nicotine after a long time of not doing so and it took me off guard.

"Woah, I forgot that happens,"I chuckled to myself. I stood up with my drink and my cigarette and began dancing a little on the spot. I finished my drink quicker than expected so poured another, still dancing and enjoying myself for the first time in a while. The clouds cleared in the sky, revealing a huge, bright full moon and it made me feel ... _empowered_. I decided it would be a good time to practice conjuring my shadow so I unleashed it and attempted to push it around in sync with the music. It glowed in the dark of the night, the green wrapping against the black and flowing around elegantly. At first I could only move it with my hands, but by the end of the song I could use my mind to manipulate it easily. It was absolutely _amazing_ to watch, and I don't know whether it was the booze in my system but I couldn't stop watching it swim back and forth in the air.

My phone dinged and I went straight to it. Chrissy had finally replied with a "yh, i got home fine. im going to be busy with school for a while so ill message you when im free ok" and suddenly my good mood was ruined. I put out the fire, sat down and stared at my phone, contemplating whether to be honest with her or not. Before I could change my mind, I hastily sent "I can't help but feel like you wanted to get away from me. If I did anything wrong please, please tell me because you know I really care about you [heartemoji]". Again, she left on read. I scoffed, rolling another cigarette, making sure I overfilled it because I knew I'd need it.

"Christ..." I sighed, lighting it.

"I know many things about you but I never clocked you as a smoker," an ominous voice said behind me. My heart jumped into my throat at the shock and I nearly dropped my cigarette. I turned around to see my 'Master' standing behind me with a long smirk on his face, evidently pleased that he had spooked me.

"Two things," I said, "Please do not sneak up on me in my house and secondly, please do not sneak up on me in my house _uninvited."_

"That's not a very polite welcome, Nightingale."

I rolled my eyes, "What is it, Alucard? Is there something Sir Integra needs me to do?"

"No. Our Master is abroad with Gene dealing with the Vatican."

"So... why are you here?" I asked.

"Sir Integra wanted you to settle before you dealt with your first vampire on your own. A generous action on her part and by the look of things you have become _very_ settled." He lightly gestured at the bottle of schnapps and packet of tobacco.

"And you're here because...?"

"I was told to deal with the vampire."

"And...?"

"I dealt with it. A low level, easy."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, "No, Alucard. Why are you in my house? You're not the type of guy to just pop in for a cup of tea, so what is it?"

"You are being watched. There's a pair of prying eyes on this house. I cannot see him, and can barely smell him. He has powerful equipment made with chemicals to hide his presence from vampires and it has been happening for a while now. If I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know any better. I believe he's human."

"Oh. Okay..." There was silence between us for a moment, "well then? Could I take him?"

His smirk lengthened and he straightened his posture, "Undoubtedly."

"Cool, then there's nothing I need to worry about. If I see him, I'll kill him." I took a long sip from my drink, feeling the satisfying burn of the alcohol, "anything else...?" His smirk finally shortened and his face turned neutral. He folded his long arms and his eyes went serious and with me being slightly intoxicated, it freaked me out a little. I couldn't read him- I didn't know whether he was about to lecture me or tell me off or give me the worst news of my life. I tried to detect anything on his face that would tell me anything at all but I couldn't. I sat down slowly, putting out my half-smoked cigarette, "Okay, so this seems serious... What is it, Alucard?"

"I am aware that our bond is unclear," he began. _Oh boy, was he going to try and talk about feelings?_ He must have heard that thought because his cheek flinched for a second, but he swiftly continued:"You are my niece and I your uncle, but at the same time you are my servant and I your master. I also acknowledge that there has been a lack of a male figure in your upbringing-"

"-Alright, alright," I cut in, "normally I wouldn't dare interrupt you because, you know, you terrify me, but if you're going to say something like how you're not the replacement of that missing male figure in my life I already know. I came to terms with it a while ago, Alucard. I know you're not _that_ type of being. It's totally fine. And besides, I'm okay on my own. I don't need any sort of fatherly figure and if I did, it wouldn't be you. Besides, it probably isn't your forte to talk about this stuff so please don't."

His face was mildly cynical whilst I spoke to him that way but he realised this and slowly restored his neutral expression,

"Good."

"So is there anything else? Or did you just come here to tell me about the creep watching my house and that you're not my dad?" Bold words, I knew they were, but I wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. Alucard was many things: Tall, intimidating, strange, but he also did things which were seemingly pointless, like that time he made himself invisible in my room and waited for me to sense him there as a 'test'. I'm sure he had his reasons but it was just so odd.

"I'm not really here."

"What?" I picked up a cigarette filter and threw it at him. It went straight through him. He gave me one last grin before disappearing. "Dickhead."

I sat down and blew out a hefty sigh, opening the tobacco pouch. I stared at my rolling fingers and couldn't help but smile. Who would've thought Alucard would cheer me up?

 **Meanwhile, somewhere dark and damp.**

"You'll be resurrected soon, my Lord... I have what you need..." Quiet, fork-tongued whispers filled the ears of the hidden man."Yes... there's still much to do. She's unprotected, and alone. She will soon be worthy and disposed of." More hisses. "I'm certain this will work. Trust me, my Lord. It'll be done."


	19. Chapter 19: So Many Questions

**A/N Long one ahead. I consider this a 'filler' episode because I don't want to rush the plot too much :)**

 **Remember to review!**

* * *

I kept what Alucard said in mind about the man watching my house and I quickly discovered I was indeed being watched. A black Lesabre with tinted windows was parked across the road most nights. The windows must have been made out of special material because even with my abilities I couldn't see through them. I did spot an outline of a man reading a paper, though, but I couldn't see his face. He'd be sat in his car all night and drive off just after I woke up and opened my curtains. I had the right mind to just talk to him and ask what he wanted but if I was to be completely honest, I couldn't be bothered.

* * *

Months passed and I found myself incredibly bored. So, _so bored_. There was not a peep from Integra and no response from Chrissy at all, so I gave up on her. It hurt at first but quite like all my tainted relationships I put it into the back of my mind. I'd been through enough, I didn't need some human girl making my feelings sting.

Anyway, I went out and got myself a job just to have something to do. I found the first cafe near my house and of course the manager asked why I wasn't in school, so I gave some sob story about how my family was killed in a violent car accident recently and I couldn't go back to school, and she bought it, saying in a thick farmers accent "you poor love, of course you can work here." Minimum wage from 12-5pm, but it was still something. It was a rather degrading job too, being yelled at by old people because their fried tomatoes were "too acidic" or that their lemonade that they asked for with ice was "too cold" and made their dentures hurt. I just sucked in my pride, and smiled at the drinks being thrown at me and let the insults slide. It's not like I _needed_ money ASAP. I did get money from Integra however I felt so wrong spending it. Because she put 5k in my bank each month, my account was automatically updated into one of those platinum accounts where I got £100 interest per month instead of 2p, which just made me more frustrated. Most teens my age would go on eBay buying vintage Louis Vuitton bags, or spend it all on weed and alcohol or whatever, but I didn't want to take advantage. I knew that money would come into good use one day, and material goods wouldn't fix what had happened to me. Material goods wouldn't give me my mother back. Besides, I felt much more comfortable spending my own earned money on weed and alcohol.

The days were extremely slow when I got up in the morning. As a vampire, I was naturally more alert in the night, but I had to get up early for work which was so draining. My routine was: wake up, drink two blood packets and some coffee, go to work, have a smoke and go home and watch Netflix. A very repetitive pattern indeed, so it got boring even faster than just sitting around doing nothing. Staying awake all day was physically exhausting, too; it wore out my body and I was painfully aware that it wasn't good for me.

At last, the day came where I got a text from Hellsing informing me there was a vampire going around parks and drinking from young children in my area and that instantly had all my undivided attention. I shot up immediately, scanning the text as much as I could, excited to get started. The only issue was that my town had about ten or eleven parks so the vampire could've been anywhere by that time.

It was nighttime, and the early summer air was clean and cool. I took a few moments to take it in, refreshing to my tired body. I inhaled deeply and something electric sparked in my blood, my vampiric senses coming to. I smelled everything within a two mile radius- cold family meals left out, the breath of drunks stumbling home, scented candles of lovers having a romantic time; it was truly amazing. Then, I picked up a scent that I could only describe as familiar and I followed it. And where did it lead me? To a park of course. _Excellent._ The vampire wasn't there yet, but they were close by, presumably prowling the area waiting to strike. There was a young boy by himself playing on the jungle gym. He probably lived nearby and had "escaped" to play in the park, having no clue about what could happen to him.

I sat on a bench about hundred yards away from the play area, lighting a cigarette and waiting for something to happen. Not long after, a quiet hiss caught my attention from near where the kid was and the vampire scent was stronger than before. _Much stronger_. I spotted a shadow start to creep up on the boy, and before they could swipe him I unleashed my shadow to create a barrier around him so that when they went to snatch him they got a nasty shock. There was a screech of pain, revealing that the vampire was a female and extremely pissed off. The boy turned around, horrified at the burned woman on the floor in agony, and ran off crying. My target recovered, her crimson eyes darting around to locate me but I made my presence unknown. I basically turned invisible which isn't something I've done before, _but it was super_ _cool_.

"I feel your essence," she called out, "show yourself!"

I stepped closer and got a better look at her. She was in her mid twenties, tall and had short brunette hair. Her most distinctive feature was a very pointy nose. I decided to reveal myself, standing there smirking at her, and her eyes widened in fear. "The Nightingale..."she gasped, and then she legged it. _Did I make a name of myself?_

She wasn't very fast for a vampire, which was disappointing for my first hunt, and I managed to keep on her trail. Her heartbeat was going as fast as a speeding train and I could tell that her aura was panicked. I didn't know how to explain the types of senses I was having, but I could tell how she was feeling just by the air around her. It was actually sort of fun having someone so frightened of you.

I chased her to a dead end alleyway and I got ready to dispose of her. She tapped on the wall and spun around, her chest heaving and tears streaking her face. Before I could end her, she turned to a steaming pile of dust before my eyes.

"What?!"

"Excuse me, please. You're in the way."

Someone lightly pushed me aside and a man crouched down, sweeping a dust sample into a vile. He was around 60 and practically bald, with grey stubble in a Heisenberg fashion. He had very tired droopy eyes and deep bags below them, and his default facial expression seemed to be set to "done with everyone's bullshit." His accent was American and tone matched his face.

"You stole my kill," I said, folding my arms.

"I didn't see your name on her." He was still crouched, using a beeping device to do whatever for whatever reason. He sprayed something on the pile and it turned into a liquid.

A thought occurred to me: "are you the guy who's been watching my house?"

Finally, he stood up. His posture was slightly slanted forward but he was obviously quite buff under his black outfit with many pockets. He took a careful glare at me, as if he was thinking carefully about what to say. He opened his mouth,"You must be Hope Nightingale, then."

"So that's a yes to my question?"

A grunt was my reply.

"So who are you then? And why are you watching me?" I tried again.

"You don't get along with dear old Dad I take it, then?" he said, totally ignoring my questions.

"Hard to get along with a dead man."

"You killed him?" his tone was washed with bored disbelief and it really started to piss me off. He spoke so slowly that everything he said sounded sarcastic. "You killed Darius Tepes?"

"Yeah."

"Well... that certainly changes a lot. Explains a lot too." He apparently disassociated for a while because he sort of just froze.

"Hey, mister," I clicked my fingers in his face, "I answered your questions so you answer mine, please."

"Alright," he said, "that does seem fair. My name is Mike Stanford and I'm watching your house because I thought you were in contact with your father. I've only ever seen Alucard, and often for that matter."

"What? Alucard has only visited once and that was months ago."

"well, he was here an hour ago. Pulled up in a fancy car and staying at a fancy hotel out of town."

Now I disassociated. _Alucard's in town?_

"If you don't mind," he continued, "I have a lot of work to do and I'm on a tight schedule. If you could step aside I'll be on my way."

"No, no," I said, laughing awkwardly, "wait a second."

"What?"

"Whose side are you on?"

"I like to consider myself on my own side. Now if you could let me leave, please, I'd very much appreciate it. I'd hate to have a disagreement with you, not because I wouldn't be able to put up a fight but because I'm not sure I'd win."

I moved aside and he nodded an insincere "thanks" and got in his car, leaving me there very confused and very irritated. I hoped to never see him again.

However, I woke up early the next morning to aggressive banging on my front door. I groggily sat up, annoyed that someone woke me from my slumber on my day off. I looked at the time and groaned, before wrapping a dressing gown over my body and slowly slumping down the stairs. I peered our the window and it was Mike, making me get even more annoyed. I opened the door:

"What do you want?"

He saw my tired state but didn't seem to care, "Good morning."

"No, it isn't. Don't you know vampires sleep in the daytime?" I rubbed my eyes, clicking my back.

"You get up for work."

"Not on my days off." I frowned, "What do you want?"

"I think we have a common interest and should talk."

I took a moment to come together and then sighed, putting my hand through my tangled masses of hair, "living room."

"A coffee would be great too."

I paused in my tracks to swear under my breath but accepted his request, heading into the kitchen and turning on the coffee machine. I made only one cup and grabbed a blood bag for myself. I trudged into the living room, handed him the coffee and sat down, nibbling in the transfusion straw and waiting for him to talk.

"You've probably noticed an increase of vampire activity here," he said.

"Actually, no."

"Well, that's because I've taken care of most of them. But there's been at least two attacks a week and authorities are picking up on it. I wondered why there's been more in this area, and why Hellsing hasn't taken care of it and if I'm gonna be honest Hope, I think you've been slacking on your job."

"Wh-" _This guy had some nerve_ ,"for your information, mate, I've got a real job that takes up a lot of my time and also I get assigned missions. So it's not my fault if I don't know if there's a vampire in the area and you seem to be fine handling things yourself."

"That is true," he answered, taking a sip of his coffee.

"What do you want, then?"

"I want to be partners."

"Yeaahhh... anything like that I'd need to run over with Integra." His forwardness and lowkey confidence made me uncomfortable. He seemed to have all of the answers and it was as if he had our conversation sussed out before we'd even had it. Either he wasn't actually human, or he was very good at his trade.

"Then do it."

I sucked the last few drops of blood in the packet, staring at him with disdain. He himself remained unbothered and calm, which tweaked my nerves. _This guy thought he could invite himself into my home, wake me up, accuse me of slacking and then say he wanted to work together?_

"Can you taste the difference in blood types?" he asked, "I always wondered."

"Uh..." I was thrown off by the change of subject but just decided to roll with it, "Not blood types but lifestyles."

"Lifestyles huh?"

"Virgin, non virgin, fast food eater, horrible soul..."

"Now that's interesting... it would explain why that girl of ours earlier preferred young children."

"Why would I want to work with you anyway?" I changed the subject, squinting my eyes, "You seem to have it all figured out and I'm sure you know of more powerful vampires out there, so what would I get out of this?"

"Hellsing doesn't tell you much, do they? You want to get on out there and take care of threats but Hellsing are leaving you to your own devices which, if you don't mind me saying, are not very effective. You're living a human life and it's straining you. You're bored and want to see some, pardon the pun, bloodshed."

"Well." I folded my arms. He finished his coffee and placed the mug down, standing up and pulling a card from his pocket,

"Here's my cell. Call me when you get things cleared with Integra."

He left and I did as I was told. I called Integra and told her about Harry and to my utter surprise she knew all about him.

" _Oh yes. He's very known to us. We've hired him on a few occasions too. If you want to work with him that is all fine. I also wanted to arrange something between you and Alucard- I've instructed him to train you so you're more familiar with your powers because you'll be in action more often. There's also something else, but that is something we will need to discuss in person in London. I'll let you know details closer to the time."_

Well. That settled that.

* * *

I was woken up again far too early the next morning when my annoyingly sensitive hearing picked up on heavy, slow footsteps creaking from the hallway. Not as loud and abrasive as knocks on the door like the previous day, but loud enough to wake me up and piss me off. Then it occurred to me- _someone had broken into my house._ I silently crept down the stairs, making sure not to make a sound. The footsteps stopped in my dining room but I couldn't see anything from where I was. I formed my sword and continued sneaking towards the last source of the noise, and upon seeing a figure turn around I lunged, crashing my weapon down onto the dip between their shoulder and their neck. My blow was halted when the intruder held my sword firmly in their hands.

"Is that how you greet guests?" They sneered. It took me a double take but it was ... _Alucard?_ He was dressed in a black suit with a red shirt and tie. His hair was slicked back and longer than the last time I saw it, and he wore thin yellow tinted frames instead of his regular orange ones. An outfit and hair change made him look like a completely different person. He almost looked ordinary, but extra, as to be expected of him.

"I-I" I stammered, "I'm sorry, I didn't recognise you." I glanced at my sword and it was making his hand bleed, "shit, I'm sorry." I made my weapon disappear and I tried to recompose myself, "Do you need anything, for- for that?" Alucard chuckled darkly and his blood was absorbed back into his body, "Oh right, I forgot." I soon became embarrassed when I realised I was in a cropped spaghetti strapped shirt that showed my stomach, tiny shorts and my hair was an unkempt curly jungle. I looked and felt like shit and the last thing I wanted to be was around Alucard, "What are you doing here? Sir Integra said she'd contact me when my training started."

"Yes. She told me to come here to establish what we'd be covering."

"Surely a note or a text or something could cover that? I know you don't like coming out of your basement unless you absolutely have to."

"Indeed..." he grimaced slightly.

"You don't seem so happy about this arrangement," I pointed, "Did she tell you to come down here?"

"I must say, I imagined spending my time in other ways. However, I do understand my given responsibility and whatever our Master says, goes. I also have other business... but that is none of yours."

"Yeah... of course it isn't. So what is the training module, then?"

Before Alucard could answer, the doorbell rang. Mike wasn't due round and I wasn't expecting any visitors.

"I thought that indicated someone is wishing to come in," Alucard commented. I made a face at him but took his sarcastic comment as a sign that it was okay. I opened the door and I was surprised to see who was standing there; wearing a tightly fitting Prada men's suit, pretentious Gucci sunglasses in the pocket and a cheekyboney face that looked like he was always sucking on a lime. He was fiddling his smart watch about as I pulled the door, obviously to appear laid back and care free. When he saw me, he flashed a smile with his painfully white, perfectly straight teeth.

"Hope," he said, in a fake posh accent. I darkened. _Anyone but him._

"Jeremy," I said, coldy.

"Look at you. You've grown so much. You're so elegant now." ' _Elegant'._ I knew he was being insincere and glared at him.

He pushed past me as he asked to come in and let himself into the kitchen. He put the coffee machine on without asking and got a mug out from the cupboard.

"Do you want one?"

"Oh, so you ask that but just show yourself in." I kept my distance and folded my arms disapprovingly.

"Hope," he said, chidingly, "don't be so stroppy."

"What are you doing here, Jeremy? I'm sort of busy."

He sighed, taking a knee so he'd be my height,

"Listen. I think we should address the elephant in the room. I know what happened to your mother and it honestly breaks my heart, but found out that the house was under your name and that began mending it. I hate the way we left things and I really think you could benefit from having me to support you."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, "oh God..." _so much cringe_. He mistook my disgust for upset and decided to put his hand on my shoulder. He smiled again and stood up to finish making himself coffee. I turned to leave, not wanting to stay in the same room as him.

"Where are you going?"

"Look," I said, gritting my teeth, "You cheated on my mum with multiple women even after she caught you. Even after I caught you and took videos and showed them right back at you. I have no idea what she saw in you but she was crazy about you and you tore her apart one bimbo at a time."

"What happened was a very complicated, adult thing that you won't understand for a long time." His condescending tone was not fairing well with me.

"I was 12 and I understood that when two adults have a committed relationship that you don't go off getting blown by random women on dating apps. So please, tell me how now I, a 16 year old, won't continue understanding that concept for a long time."

"Is there a problem here?" Alucard stood casually in the doorway. He was taller than Jeremy by about five or six inches didn't show an insecurity in the world, which clearly made Jeremy jealous because he straightened his posture and sucked his cheeks in more. Jeremy's obnoxiously blue eyes laid themselves on Alucard and looked him up and down, and then at me, as if he couldn't figure out the connection.

"No," he replied, "none at all. Jeremy Horngold. And you are?" He put his hand out for an inevitable handshake which he used to prove his manliness and I was startled to see Alucard take it.

"This is J Brenner. He's my uncle," I said quickly. I wasn't sure where I got the name from, it just came into my head.

"Oh yes, I see the, ah, resemblance." It brought me too much satisfaction when Jeremy's face squinted in pain at Alucard's grip. "A man with a very strong hand... impressive, Mr Brenner."

"So as you can see, I'm busy," I said.

"That's odd though," Jeremy commented, "Donna said that she had no ties to your father."

"Yes, but evidently things have changed and those things are none of your business, so it was nice seeing you goodbye." I took the coffee mug from his hands, poured the remains in the sink and started shoving him towards the exit. To my utter disappointment, he halted.

"Hold on there, girl," he said, "I think we need to talk."

"Nope, nothing to talk about. Goodbye." I opened the door for him to leave.

"Hope, please." He seemed serious and it would be mean on my part if I just continued pushing him out. I let him talk.

"Oh fine."

"I really do hate how I left things between Donna and I- and you. I want nothing more than to repent and make up for it. I can't imagine the suffering you've gone through with that series of murders within your family and I think you need someone to guide you."

"And you want to guide me?" I made quotation marks with my fingers.

"I mean... I can't think of anyone else who can. You need me in your life to set you straight. Get your GCSEs and get a good job."

"Let me guess, as a corporate lawyer like you? Yeah, no thank you." He clicked his tongue at me disapprovingly and wagged a finger, as he allowed himself back into the kitchen and started rifling through my cupboards.

"What the hell you think you're doing?" I demanded.

"You barely have any food," he commented, "that's no good. You're not taking care of yourself."

"I don't need to eat much, trust me." A low chuckle came from Alucard who was obviously enjoying the entire situation, or rather he enjoyed watching me struggle with this persistent rich white man.

"If I throw salt over my left shoulder, will you disappear?" I hissed at him.

"Why don't you find out?" Alucard challenged.

"Oh, _bite me_."

"What on earth-" My attention returned to Jeremy who was staring at my opened fridge full of blood packets, "Hope, what is all this?" He took one out and examined it, "It's all from a hospital in London... is there something you're not telling me?"

Suddenly, a perfect lie evolved inside my head, "Okay, Jeremy. Listen," I took his hands in mine and stared at him sincerely, "I'm sick. Really sick. I need four transfusions a day just so I can walk. It's pretty serious. See my eyes? The disease makes my iris' red and my skin pale. I bruise easily," I showed the bitemarks on my skin, "and I can't get over stressed, which is why I'm out of school. It's something I got from my father's side and that's why Brenner's here- to talk about what medical procedures need to go down. So as you can imagine, I'm really busy and it's really important that he and I are left alone to discuss details. You understand, right?"

"Oh my goodness," he breathed, "That- I had no-" he began tearing up.

"Which is why I need to be alone right now. I'll give you my number and you can text me when you want, okay?"

He nodded, wiping his eyes, "Yes, alright. I'm sorry you have to see me like this, it's just... you're the last scrap of Donna... I -"

"- I know. I miss her too." I bid him goodbye and he finally left, driving off in his Jag. I sighed deeply in relief at his absence, rubbing my forehead, "Christ, I hate that guy..."

"Hate is a powerful word," Alucard said.

"I doubt you're a fan of him either."

"I find his stupidity amusing."

"Right. And I forgot you were here. Okay, so what now? Or are you just going to hang around and say vague metaphors until I get annoyed and yell at you?" I saw his expression and I corrected my statement, but I was still annoyed so I bared my teeth,"I'm sorry, I just don't have a lot of patience right now."

"I have business elsewhere," he answered, after a few counts of silence.

"What bus- oh right, none of mine."

"Correct. Our Master will contact you."

"Yeah, yeah. Bye." I didn't like how Alucard just 'dropped' by. It didn't match his character and frankly, it made me a little on edge and uncomfortable. I didn't get why Integra sent him to my little insignificant town, and I didn't understand how there was such much vampire activity but I was never aware of it. I could sense other vampires but whenever I went out I didn't feel anything at all. And to send Alucard to clean up these low level pests? It didn't add up, which told me one thing: Hellsing was hiding something from me. It also told me that there was someone closeby creating new vampires for whatever reason and they were telling them about me. _Who was it? And what was their motive?_

Once again, I had so many questions. This was a familiar feeling that I hadn't missed.

 _Somewhere else_

An unknown figure spoke German to a pile of ashes, and poured a drop of liquid from a glowing red vial. The pile sizzled and bubbled, and began hissing at the contact. It absorbed the liquid and matched the colour, turning into a thick paste that thrashed about on the ground.  
"Shh...nein. Not yet, master..." He scooped the remains into a small metal box after it settled down, sealing it tightly, "There's still a lot to be done."


End file.
